On Monday 29 August, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal approved the setting up of an Advance Marketing Intelligence Wing for Horticulture (AMIWH) in the state. The aim of this new wing is to tap into the marketing potential of fruits and vegetables from Punjab. The decision was taken by the chief minister while presiding over a meeting with a delegation of kinnow growers from the state in Chandigarh on Monday, said an official spokesman.
He said that, now when food production has reached a point of saturation, the need of the hour was to maximise fruit and vegetable production to supplement the income of farmers. Badal said that although many progressive farmers were making concerted efforts in cultivating fruits and vegetables, they were facing major challenges due to a lack of marketing infrastructure and techniques.
He envisioned that AMIWH would fill in gaps to help farmers market their products across the globe. He said AMIWH along with the reconstituted Post Harvest Technique centre at PAU Ludhiana would act as catalysts to bring a fruit and vegetable revolution in the state.
Acceding to the demand of kinnow growers, the chief minister also announced that the state government would provide a subsidy to kinnow growers for setting up small cold rooms along with their waxing centres, so that they could export kinnows from state.
Likewise, Badal also asked the Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to expedite the case of importing fungicides through the Central Insecticide Bureau (CIB), so that kinnow growers could get them well in time, before their season, to boost the export potential of the fruit.
Source: indianexpress.com
