Gandhinagar: To prevent wastage of horticultural produce and ensure better market prices for farmers, the Gujarat government today implemented a new scheme. This scheme includes setting up cold storage facilities with capacities up to 10,000 metric tons, allowing horticultural farmers to store their produce effectively.

Minister of Agriculture Mr. Raghavji Patel, providing detailed information about the scheme, said, “The state government has implemented this new scheme to increase cold storage for horticultural crops in the state. Under this scheme, for setting up cold storage above 5,000 MT and up to 10,000 MT capacity, maximum assistance of 50 percent of unit cost, up to Rs. 379 lakh, will be provided. Assistance will be paid as a credit-linked back-ended subsidy to the beneficiaries. A total amount of Rs. 50 crore has been allocated.”

Minister Patel added “since horticultural crops deteriorate very quickly, it is imperative to store or add value to the crop under post-harvest management. As the quality of horticultural crops is preserved for longer in cold storage, farmers can avoid financial loss by getting good market prices for their produce. Previously, assistance was provided by the state government for setting up cold storage with a capacity of up to 5,000 metric tons for storing horticultural crops. However, considering the growing prevalence and production of horticulture in the state, the storage capacity of cold storage has been increased under the new scheme.”

With the implementation of this scheme, infrastructure facilities with a storage capacity of 1.25 lakh metric tons of annual horticultural produce can be created in the state, generating new employment opportunities. As a result, the storage capacity for processed vegetable/fruit crops, in addition to horticultural crops like vegetables, fruits, spices, and flowers, will increase, the minister expressed confidence. DeshGujarat