Adequate cold storing of horticulture products, especially the Kashmir apple, is a pre-requisite of the Horticulture Department. We have the largest apple producing industry in the country and Kashmir apple is supplied to all the big markets in different parts of the country. Supply of fresh fruits and vegetables is not a one -time activity. Fruit growers and fruit merchants generally release quotas of fruit close to some important occasions like festivals with an eye to make larger profits and larger sales. But this means allowing the apple remain in cold store for some specific time before the lot is brought out for sale.
Existence of cold stores within and outside the State is a must. This is the only way how the life of the fruits can be extended to make it available at particular time of the year. In reply to the query of an MLA, the Government has conceded that it does not have adequate cold storage at the moment. Against the total requirement of 3.83 LMTs it has only 0.63 LMTs under private sector. This is a huge deficit gap and needs to be fulfilled. The good news for horticulturists is that the Department is exploring the possibility for establishment of cold stores under ‘PPP’ mode in four terminal fruit and vegetable markets and two satellite markets in first phase at Parimpora, Srinagar, Spore, Narwal, Jablipora( Anantnag), Kulgam and Shopian.
The Government will have to improve the cold storage facilities at some of the big Mandis in the country like in Delhi and Kolkata. We learn that the Government under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) as well as under NABARD multipurpose commodity cold store at Kolkata is being constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.63 crore. This is a welcome step and especially the horticulturists who are versed with the fruit and vegetable market in Kolkata will feel happy to have the facility of cold storage at hand. We would like to suggest that the Government selects more places in major cities of the country where Kashmir horticulture products are in demand for turning these into cold storage Mandis and thereby fairly widen the scope of making horticulture a source of strengthening State’s economy.
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