Haryana and United Kingdom (UK) have agreed to work jointly for setting up of a Clean Cold Chain Regional Centre in the new Horticulture University at Karnal to prevent post harvest losses in perishable horticulture crops.
Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Abhilaksh likhi, who held a meeting with Cliff Wilson, Department of International Trade in UK on Thursday, said that both Haryana and UK would explore the possibilities of signing an MoU in this regard.
The advice of Central Government would also be sought, he said.
likhi said that the collaboration would help the Crop Cluster Development Programme (CCDP) in skilling and clean technology of Rs 500 crore and could be finalised during the Agri leadership Summit to be held in March 2018.
He said that UK Government and Birmingham University has also been invited to attend and participate in the Summit. Haryana has recently launched a programme to include 13,000 horticultural farmers into a system of 140 crop clusters, intended to speed up the adoption of agricultural and post-harvest management technologies, each with its own logistics centre and refrigerated transport, said likhi.
The system would be 90 per cent financed by the Haryana Government with a budget of Rs 510 crore over three years and ten per cent by the farmers themselves, added he.