HSAMB to adoptdern post harvest management support system

By Haryananewswire

CHANDIGARH, FEB 10

Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB) has taken up an ambitious project of Rs 1500 crore ultra modern post harvest management support system on the pattern of Rungis Market near Paris for which about 493 acres of land has been acquired at Ganaur. 

While stating this today, a spokesman of HSAMB said that this market would have backward linkages with the entire state of Haryana alongwith the states of northern region and would have forward linkages with the metropolitan cities of the country.  This would be an ultra modern whole sale Fruit and Vegetable Market Complex having facilities of Cool Chambers, Ripening Chamber, Grading, Sorting and Packaging lines. 

This market would be connected to about 100 collection centres throughout the state initially. He said that it would offer a clean and hygienic market environment. Initial works have been started at site and an expenditure of Rs. 6.44 crore has so far been incurred on boundary wall, hoarding, entrance road, landscaping, kiosks and covered shed including pack house.

He said that with a view to provide modern facilities in existing vegetable markets, the HSAMB is taking up  a number of projects with the assistance of National Horticulture Mission Projects.  In the first phase, cold chain, ripening chambers, grading, sorting and packaging facilities are being set up. All these schemes have been introduced for value addition to the produce of farmers. The projects for providing these facilities under Phase-I have been started at 11 stations namely, Panchkula, Panipat, Hisar, Narnaul, Rohtak, Karnal, Gurgaon, Abubshahar, Shahabad, Jhajjar and Sonepat with an estimated cost of Rs.72.06 crore. An expenditure of Rs.57 crore has so far been incurred.

          He said that under the second phase of National Horticulture Mission scheme, the cold chain works at four stations namely Faridabad, Jind, Pehowa and Yamuna Nagar have been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.12.24 crore. The works were in progress and an expenditure of Rs. four crore has so far been incurred.

          He said that the HSAMB has constructed new link roads of about 3908 km. length with an expenditure of Rs. 537 crore during the tenure of present Government. He said that the works in a length of about 7000 km have been completed with an expenditure of Rs. 546 crore. Besides, on special repair of roads, an expenditure of Rs. 18 crore has also been made on annual repair of roads. 

          He said that Rs.516 crore have been spent on development of mandis and providing additional facilities in existing mandis. He said that 176 Rural Sports Stadiums costing about Rs.110 crore have been assigned to the Board as deposit work of Sports Department. Works of 158 stadiums have been completed whereas   five stadiums are near completion and seven stadiums are in progress.He said that development works of 53 model villages were assigned to HSAMB out of which, works of 47 villages have been completed with an expenditure of Rs.238 crore. The works of 881 villages under LADT scheme and pavement of street schemes and 291 streets under third State Finance Commission scheme were assigned to HSAMB. Works of all these schemes have been completed with an expenditure of Rs.144.55 crore.He said that the Board was constructing Plant Health Clinics at 17 stations with an estimated cost of Rs. three crore and out of these 14 projects have already been completed costing Rs 2.80 crore. 

          At present, Apple from Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir are being supplied to Fruit Market in Delhi by rehandling it at Chandigarh, due to which, there is heavy congestion in fruit and vegetable market at Chandigarh. New apple market has been developed at Sector-20 in Panchkula which would de-congest the market.

          He said that the Board has planned to develop Agro Malls in various mandis of the State to have better opportunities of marketing and selling their produce for farmers. In this chain, so far sanctions amounting to Rs. 197 crore have been granted for the Shopping Mall projects at Panchkula, Karnal, Panipat and Rohtak and an expenditure of Rs. 128 crore has so far been incurred. The works at Panchkula, Karnal, Panipat and Rohtak were in progress whereas the work of Agro Mall at Rohtak is almost complete.

          He said that HSAMB is also undertaking development works under the Central Government funded   schemes with an estimated cost of about Rs.15 crore. A project of upgradation of rural roads already constructed by the Board was approved as a joint project of HSAMB and the Public Works Department (Building and Roads).  The road length of 75.62 km. has been upgraded under this project, he added.