The State Government has given approval to establishing cold storage facility for vegetables and fruits in Kalaburagi, Minister for Agriculture B.C. Patil said here on Wednesday.
The Government will allocate ₹9.80 crore for setting up the cold storage with a 5,000 tonne capacity.
Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the proposed farmers training centre building at Kotnoor D Village on the outskirts of the city, Mr. Patil said that farmers are facing great difficulty in the absence of cold storage, especially after harvesting. Farmers ended up throwing vegetables and fruits on the road after finding it difficult to sell their produces during the lockdown and such units will help them in preserving their produce for a longer period, he added.
The Minister said that tender for the establishment of the cold storage has been floated. The foundation stone for the unit will be laid tentatively by next month and the unit is likely to be thrown open for usage by the end of this year.
He said that the BJP-led Government is committed to protecting the interests of farmers. The Centre and the State Government have given compensation for crop losses suffered by farmers due to rain and floods last year. Both the State and the Centre have released a sum of ₹6,800 each per hectare of rain-fed land.
For irrigated land, the Centre has given compensation of ₹13,500 per hectare and the State Government has given ₹11,500 per hectare. And, for horticulture crop loss, the Centre has paid ₹18,000 per hectare, while the State Government has given compensation of ₹7,000 per hectare, Mr. Patil added.
Chairman of the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB) Dattatreya Patil Revoor said that the cold storage planned for the benefit of farmers across the Kalyana Karnataka region will be established at an estimated cost of ₹30 crore in the MSK Mill area.
Kalaburagi MP Umesh Jadhav, MLAs and MLCs were present.
