The Chhattisgarh Government has identified key urban centres in eight districts of the State for enabling daily supply of fresh vegetables grown and transported from farm lands within their periphery.
The State Agriculture department, as per its Annual Report for 2013-14, is already in the process of implementing an ambitious Centrally-sponsored project titled ‘Vegetable initiative for urban clusters’, which is part of the countrywide `300 crore project launched in 2011-12 under Rashtriya Kirshi Vikas Yojana for implementation of a ‘Vegetable Initiative’ to set in motion a virtuous cycle of production and income for the farmers and assured supply for consumers.
The urban centres in which the project is in the process of implementation are — Raipur, Mahsamund, Dhamtari, Kanker, Durg, Rajnandganon, Kabirdham and Bilaspur.
The project document of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation of the Union Ministry of Agriculture observed: ‘Availability of vegetables, particularly to the urban population, presents many challenges. Moreover, issues such as assured availability of safe and good quality vegetables at affordable prices continue to be a major challenge.’
Addressing this concern calls for concerted action on several fronts viz. production, logistics covering post harvest handling, storage, transportation, marketing, distribution and policy reform. In this background, a special initiative for the development of vegetables has been mooted with 100 per cent Central assistance under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, it stated.
The project is proposed to cover one city in each State which is either the State capital or any other city with a population of over one million. In case, in any State there is no city which satisfies this criteria, then other urban cluster closer to one million population will be selected for the purpose, the document informed.
The main objectives of scheme are:(a) Addressing all concerns related to both the demand and supply side of the vegetable sector in selected cities.
(b) Enhancing vegetable production and productivity, improve nutritional security and income support to vegetable farmers.
(c) Encouraging establishment of an efficient supply chain thereby leading to employment opportunities and incomes for intermediate service providers, and safe, good quality, fresh as well as processed agri produce at competitive price for urban consumers.
(d) Promote, developing and disseminating technologies for enhancing production and productivity of vegetables in peri-urban areas of major cities.
(e) Assisting states in addressing the entire value chain, right from the stage of pre-production to the consumers table through appropriate interventions.
(f) Creating employment generation opportunities for skilled and unskilled persons, especially unemployed youth.