In another bid to narrow the gap between producer prices and consumer prices of horticultural products, the State Government has proposed a Terminal Market Complex at Sambalpur on fast track.
A high-level meeting to this effect was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra on Thursday where Principal Secretary, Agriculture Rajesh Kumar Verma outlined the objectives and operational modes of the project. A blueprint of the project was presented. Mohapatra asked to expedite the processes like formation of a SPV (special purpose vehicle), allotment of land and finalisation of an Operation Management and Development Action (OMDA) Plan by the end of January 2014.
The Modern Terminal Market (MTM) has been planned with twofold objectives of ensuring food security and providing remunerative prices to farmers which would encourage food production. The project has been envisaged to be implemented in the PPP (public-private partnership) mode. The project would promote cultivation of fruits, vegetables, flowers, aromatics and herbs. It would also promote other commodities like oil seeds, grains, pulses and poultry products.
The core facilities to be provided in the projects include washing, grading, sorting, weighing and packaging services. It would also provide facility for collection aggregation of products and primary value addition. The catchment area of the project covers 11 western Odisha districts, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Subarnapur, Balangir, Angul, Boudh, Sundargarh and Nuapada.
The project cost has been estimated at around Rs 74 crore. Meanwhile, the project has been approved by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. The lMJ International, Kolkata has been selected as the private partner through a global tendering process. land of 60 acres at Nildunguri near Sambalpur on NH-6 has been identified for the purpose. It is 16 km from Sambalpur town towards Deogarh, Pallahara, Baripada and Kolkata. The Government would provide the support of land, water and electricity.
The Chief Secretary directed for expeditious process for handing over the land to the Horticulture Department. The lMJ International was asked to from the SPV for implementation of the project and submit detailed action plan. The company was also asked to submit operation management and development action (OMEDA) plan of the project. The project would be implemented under direct supervision of the Principal Secretary, Agriculture within 18 months.
Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Dr Taradatt, Principal Secretary, Water Recourses Suresh Mohapatra, Secretary, Cooperation Bishnupada Sethi, Director, Horticulture Sanjeev Chadha, representatives from the lMJ group and Il&FS participated in the discussions.