Says “It is a step to strengthen Post-Harvest Logistics, Horticulture Marketing in distt”

Srinagar : Deputy Commissioner(DC) Srinagar, Akshay LabrooFriday handed over the key of Reefer Van to a beneficiary under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) during a programme organized by Horticulture Planning & Marketing at Parimpora Fruit Mandi.

The event was attended by Chief Planning Officer, Fayaz Ahmad Dar; SDM West, Irfan Bahadur; Tehsildar Shalteng, Area Marketing Officer(HP&M), stakeholders from Parimpora Fruit Mandi and other concerned.

While presiding over the programme, the DC handed over the Refrigerated Truck (Reefer Van) to the district beneficiary to facilitate the efficient transportation of fruits and vegetables across the Srinagar catchment area. On the occasion, the DC also flagged off the Reefer Van carrying fresh fruit produce to Coimbatore.

The DC congratulated the beneficiary and appreciated the department for the initiative, encouraging unemployed youth to take advantage of various livelihood and employment-generation schemes for economic upliftment.

It is pertinent to mention that under HADP, the government provides a 75% subsidy on each reefer unit costing Rs 25 lakh under the component Strengthening of Agricultural Marketing, Project 4, aimed at augmenting logistics support for the fruit industry.

The Reefer Truck, with a capacity of 9 metric tonnes, is a recent intervention under post-harvest management initiatives. Equipped with an in-built controlled atmosphere system, it enables long-distance transportation of fruits and vegetables while preserving freshness and quality.

The services of these for Controlled Atmosphere (CA) trucks is steadily increasing in the local cold-chain sector, as these vehicles significantly enhance the shelf life and profitability of fruit produce.