To tap vast marketing potential of fruits and vegetables from Punjab, both within the country and abroad, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday gave nod for setting up Advance Marketing Intelligence Wing for Horticulture in the state.
The decision was taken by the Chief Minister while presiding over a meeting with a delegation of Kinnow growers from the state.
Badal, taking part in deliberations, said that at the time when the food production has reached a point of saturation, the need of hour was to maximize fruit and vegetable production for supplementing the income of farmers.
Though many progressive farmers were making concerted efforts by adopting cultivation of fruits and vegetables, they were facing major challenges due to lack of marketing infrastructure and techniques, he said.
Badal envisioned that the proposed Advance Marketing Intelligence Wing for Horticulture would fill in the gap to facilitate the farmers for marketing their products across the globe. “This Advance Marketing Intelligence Wing, along with the reconstituted Post Harvest Technique Centre at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), ludhiana, would act as catalysts to bring fruit and vegetable revolution in the state,” he said.
He said that besides these steps, the state government would make every effort to boost the fruit and vegetable cultivation in the state.
Acceding to the demand of Kinnow growers, Badal announced that the state government would provide subsidy to them for setting up small cold rooms along with their waxing centres, so that they could export Kinnows from state.
likewise, Badal also called up the Union Agriculture Minister Dr Radha Mohan Singh over telephone to expedite the case of importing fungicides through Central Insecticide Bureau (CIB) so that Kinnow growers could get it well in time before their season to boost the export potential of crop.