VIJAY GITE
NASHIK :
The biggest onion market in Asia, Lasalgaon will soon get the temperature-controlled perishable cargo centre. The centre is being developed under the central government’s scheme of the national cold supply chain for perishables. In the recent budget session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to set up a ‘Kisan Rail’ through the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode for a cold supply chain to transport perishable goods. The cargo centre at Lasalgaon is being developed under the same pattern of PPP.
The temperature-controlled perishable cargo centre is under construction at Lasalgaon in Nashik district, only in the state. The project is being developed by Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR) through a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative. Another project is under commissioned at Ghazipur Ghat (UP), New Azadpur, Delhi and Raja ka Talab (UP).
The official from Central Railway has said that the cargo centre is being developed as a pilot project under the Kisan Vision. The Railways already has nine refrigerated vans available on its network for transportation of the perishable goods. With a carrying capacity of 17 tonnes each for transportation of highly-perishable parcel traffic were developed and procured through the Rail Coach Factory.
Lasalgaon, as well as Nashik, has the number of exports especially the onion and grapes. The temperature-controlled perishable cargo centre will help to transport such goods. With the help of the cold storage facility, the transportation of perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, milk products, meat and fishery products will be easy.
The official added that 98 reefer (ventilated, insulated) rail containers with a carrying capacity of 12 tonnes per container were procured through CONCOR for movement of fruits and vegetables to different parts of the country. The cargo centres and the rail containers will be supplementary to each other and will help to increase exports and commerce in the region.
Under the scheme, the central government is developing infrastructure in the form of cold storage warehouses at both the source and destination centres for seamless transportation. It is expected that with the cold storage facility the farmers in the district will be benefitted.
