PATNA: Under the second agriculture road map for development, the state
government is contemplating to motivate farmers to set up fruit and
vegetable cooperatives and federations on the pattern of Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (COMPFED) for improving production, preservation and marketing of fruits, vegetables and related processed products.
COMPFED was designed on the pattern of Amul Milk Cooperative Federation, Anand, bringing in white revolution (milk) in the state.
There has been a great demand from farmers and food processing entrepreneurs for adequate cold storage facilities and creation of cold chain to preserve fruits and vegetables for supply in the market as well as to store them for using in food processing industries. As fruits and vegetables are perishable items, farmers incur heavy losses in the absence of cold chains.
In this backdrop, the idea of fruits and vegetable cooperative federations was incorporated in the agenda of the second agriculture road map to get optimum output from the large-scale production of fruits and vegetables in Bihar.
Development-cum-agriculture production commissioner, A K Sinha, on Sunday, said on the pattern of COMPFED, associations and cooperative societies of fruits and vegetable farmers would be formed and they would together form cooperative federations, which will motivate them to improve their production. There would be sufficient cold storage facilities to preserve fruits and vegetables, he said.
Sinha said federations may be formed by the cooperative societies of different categories of fruit and vegetable farmers to get the maximum output of their farm produce through a marketing chain in which fruits and vegetables would be well preserved. This would lead to opening of more food processing industries for which the industry department provides subsidies to the entrepreneurs under Bihar Industrial Incentive Policy, 2011, he said.
Litchi is a highly perishable fruit. So, a separate federation of cooperatives of litchi-growing farmers may be needed. This will increase the use of litchi in food processing industries and take them to distant markets in perfect condition, he said.
Sinha said with the collaboration of an Israeli firm, a centre of excellence for horticulture will be established in north Bihar with the support of Union government. The location of the centre is yet to be decided, he said.
COMPFED was designed on the pattern of Amul Milk Cooperative Federation, Anand, bringing in white revolution (milk) in the state.
There has been a great demand from farmers and food processing entrepreneurs for adequate cold storage facilities and creation of cold chain to preserve fruits and vegetables for supply in the market as well as to store them for using in food processing industries. As fruits and vegetables are perishable items, farmers incur heavy losses in the absence of cold chains.
In this backdrop, the idea of fruits and vegetable cooperative federations was incorporated in the agenda of the second agriculture road map to get optimum output from the large-scale production of fruits and vegetables in Bihar.
Development-cum-agriculture production commissioner, A K Sinha, on Sunday, said on the pattern of COMPFED, associations and cooperative societies of fruits and vegetable farmers would be formed and they would together form cooperative federations, which will motivate them to improve their production. There would be sufficient cold storage facilities to preserve fruits and vegetables, he said.
Sinha said federations may be formed by the cooperative societies of different categories of fruit and vegetable farmers to get the maximum output of their farm produce through a marketing chain in which fruits and vegetables would be well preserved. This would lead to opening of more food processing industries for which the industry department provides subsidies to the entrepreneurs under Bihar Industrial Incentive Policy, 2011, he said.
Litchi is a highly perishable fruit. So, a separate federation of cooperatives of litchi-growing farmers may be needed. This will increase the use of litchi in food processing industries and take them to distant markets in perfect condition, he said.
Sinha said with the collaboration of an Israeli firm, a centre of excellence for horticulture will be established in north Bihar with the support of Union government. The location of the centre is yet to be decided, he said.
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