The proposed hub for kinnow, a hybrid citrus fruit, is set to change the pattern of business in this critical horticulture crop from Punjab. The hub, to be built by the Punjab State Agriculture Marketing Board (PSAMB) in Abohar as a joint venture between the Centre and the state government, involves a capital outlay of Rs 226.46 lakh. The Centre has decided to contribute Rs 50 lakh for the project through the National Horticulture Mission.
Punjab State Agriculture Marketing Board secretary Dr Karamjit Singh Sra told FE that a report has been submitted to the Centre for its approval. After getting the green signal from the Centre, the state government will begin construction work, probably within a year. The hub will provide facilities to maximise the benefit of increased production.
It will offer modern agri infrastructure facilities like an integrated cold chain which includes pack houses, ripening chambers, washing/cleaning/grading lines, controlled atmosphere chambers and high-humidity cold stores.
Officials of the board said with the entry of multinational companies in the retail sector, demand for pre-graded vegetables and fruits has gone up.
Traders too now prefer this classification. To cater to this demand, two high-tech mechanical grading lines proposed in Abohar will grade and pack kinnow, making it ready to be sent to destination markets. The high-grade produce is usually sent to cities like Mumbai and Bangalore while the medium grade produce goes to tier-II cities.
Punjab’s kinnow is being transported across the country. A small part is being exported to Bangladesh through commission agents in Kolkata.
A range of citrus fruits including kinnow, malta and mausambi will be transacted in the new hub and it can also be used to trade grains during the off season.
The other facilities at the commodity hub will include an electronic weigh bridge, and an electronic display board for providing diverse information regarding the fruit to growers and traders which will enable them to make decisions regarding sale. Information will also be given on current prices of important commodities in major mandis across the country.
?Farmers will be ensured reasonable payment based on the variety, quality and quantity of their produces, besides an assured, safe mechanism for storage, grading and sale,? Dr Sra said.
Because of high yield and good returns, more farmers in Punjab are switching over to kinnow cultivation. The area under kinnow cultivation has gone up by 3,650 hectare in the previous financial year. The state expects a record production of 8.50 lakh tonne in 2010-2011.