Although vegetable production is more than double that of fruits in Himachal Pradesh, there’s hardly any cold storage facility for vegetables. Rajesh Kaushik, Director, Department of Agriculture: “When our vegetables hit the market (from April to November), there’s hardly any vegetables coming from the plains. So, our vegetables are sold easily at generally good price.”
Kuldeep Tanwar, president of Himachal Kisan Sabha, said the cold storage facilities were still required to tide over the frequent volatility of the market. “We have been demanding the cold storage facility for vegetables and spices for over a decade now. Most growers have small produce as land holdings are small. If they hit the market when there’s a slump, the result is distress sale.”
Last year, the per kg price of garlic fluctuated heavily. The massive fluctuations can only be addressed when growers get some control over the supply line through cold storage facility.
Accepting that short-term storage cold storage facilities would be beneficial for the vegetable growers, Director Agriculture said the department was looking to build primary processing and small cold stores as part of its Cluster Development Programme in the state.
Source: tribuneindia.com
