Haryana to set up 200 pack-houses for vegetables and fruits

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Jai Prakash Dalal said that the state government will open 200 integrated small and big packhouses in the state in the next three years and a budget of Rs 500 crores has also been allotted for this scheme.
The Agriculture Minister was addressing farmers today after inaugurating Haryana's first integrated packhouse and crop group (Pihowa Vegetable Producer Company) under the Crop Group Development Scheme of Horticulture Department at Talhedi village in Kurukshetra district. He said that modern farming has emerged in Haryana with 'Integrated PackHouse' and 'Crop Cluster Center'. This will not only increase the income of farmers but will also incline the farmers towards advanced and commercial agriculture. Through these packhouses, the profits of the products will directly reach the farmers and not to the middlemen. The initiative of collective farming will reduce the cost of farmers and the products will also have longer shelf life.

Earlier, Haryana Agriculture Minister Mr. J.P. Dalal, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal inaugurated the first integrated packhouse of Haryana, which was built at a cost of about Rs 6 crore 25 lakh and also took an overview of the integrated packhouse in Talhedi village. A subsidy of Rs 4 crore 50 lakh has been provided by the Government on this pack.

The Agriculture Minister said that the state government is going to give another gift to the farmers soon, under which the insurance scheme will be implemented on horticultural crops and electricity rates will be reduced from Rs 8.50 to Rs 2.50. These electricity rates will be applicable from April 1, 2020. He called upon the farmers to collectively build pack houses for which the government will help them in every way. The farmers will get the profits of the products directly from the packhouses and the multinational companies will buy these products directly from the farmers.

The Agriculture Minister said that a target has been set to open 200 packhouses in Haryana and a budget of about Rs 500 crore will be spent on this. Grading, packaging, and marketing of farmers' produce will be done easily through pack houses. On the opening of packhouses to the farmers, a 70-90% subsidy is also being given by the government.

Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal said that with integrated packhouse from Talhedi village of Kurukshetra district, farmers in the state will work together and earn more profits. With the support of the government, a packhouse has been set up at village Konkpur and Babain in Ambala. Its inauguration will also be done soon, he said. In this year, the government is going to open 55 integrated pack houses, apart from this, proposals are also being received from Tosham, in Bhiwani as well.