Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday inaugurated a state-of-the-art fruit and vegetable market here and announced that ultra-modern fruit and vegetable markets on the pattern of Mohali would be soon set up in other big cities like ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala.
These markets would be set up to ensure hassle-free and smooth marketing facilities to the farmers and traders, including both retailers and wholesalers besides giving boost to the cultivation of fruits and vegetables as part of the State Government’s flagship programme of crop diversification. Addressing a public gathering especially the farmers, after the inauguration of ultra modern fruit and vegetable market here in Sector 65 A constructed over an area of 12.5 acres at a cost of nearly Rs 50 crore, Badal said his Government was committed to take pro-farmer initiatives for the welfare of peasantry and this modern mandi was also a step towards that direction.
He met and interacted with few farmers who have been allotted space in this market to directly sell their produce in order to earn more profit under Apni Mandi scheme. He also advised the farmers to sell their produce may be fruit or vegetables in small packets for the convenience of the consumers.
Secretary Mandi Board Deepinder Singh said that the most important feature of this market yard was the separation of the whole sale trade area from the retail trade area. Besides this there was a separate area where the farmers could sell their produce directly to the consumers. The working hours in this market yard would be fixed, after the working hours the total market yard would be cleaned and disinfected. In this market yard the value addition facilities such as washing, grading, standardisation, packaging, ripening etc would also be provided.
Financial Commissioner Development Suresh Kumar said that Punjab Mandi Board was the first organisation in the State which had evolved an online web based system, e-Pragati, in which any person or public representative can see the status of development works with cost being carried out in their area by Punjab Mandi Board just by a click of mouse on the website — punjabpragati.com.