NEW DELHI: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, today visited Cold Store Project of Jammu and Kashmir Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited (JKAIDCL) at Lawrence Road here and inspected the ongoing developmental works there.
During the visit, Advisor Bhatnagar was briefed about the expansion and modernization of 4400 MT Cold Store Project being established with a cost of Rs 1024.34 lakh. He also inspected the status of additional cold rooms for market development of Horticulture Produce from J&K being constructed at the cost of Rs. 1986.57 lakh.
Advisor, on the occasion, interacted with the project executing team and took stock of progress on the ongoing works. He expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of works being done at the project site.
Speaking on the occasion, Advisor Bhatnagar said that this Cold Store Project is aimed at creating a modern and efficient infrastructure for storage and preservation of perishable agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables. He added that the project is expected to provide much needed support to farmers and small-scale food processing industries of Jammu and Kashmir as well as other parts of the country.
Advisor further highlighted that this Cold Store Project is a crucial initiative that will go a long way in supporting the agriculture and food processing sector. He added that the project will provide farmers and small scale food processing industries with access to modern and efficient storage facilities, thereby enabling them to better preserve and market their produce.
Pertinently, the existing Cold Store of JKAIDCL needed to be upgraded so that the highly perishable crops can be stored there. This will enable farmers of UT of J&K to store highly perishable produce of J&K like Strawberry, Peach, Plum, Cherry, Apple and other Agricultural Products near the consumer market outside J&K, thus helping farmers to get better price for their produce with flexibility to sell the produce at appropriate time.