The Administrative Council (AC) headed by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, has approved the establishment of 5000 MT multi-chambered modern cold storage and ripening project for storing fresh fruits and vegetables by J&K State Agro Industries Development Corporation Ltd.
The project will be the first of its kind cold storage facility for fresh fruits and vegetables in the Jammu district and will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 26.47 crore in the next eight months. It will reduce the post-harvest losses by increasing the shelf life of various agriculture and horticulture products, besides addressing the issue of distress sales of the crops by the farmers.
During the last two years, an enabling environment has been created for transforming J&K Agriculture and allied sector to increase the income of farmers, ensure food security, and speed up the economic growth of J&K.
The Government has taken several concrete steps for increasing agriculture and horticulture production and enhancing the quality of the crop while laying special focus on the post-harvesting management infrastructure, especially in the private sector.
So far, around 1.98 LMT of CA storage has been established in the private sector which has mostly focused on one crop only. The upcoming project is a step towards diversifying the cold storage facility for multiple fruits and vegetables in the Jammu division.