New Delhi: Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday held a video conference with the promoters of the completed Integrated Cold Chain Projects amid nationwide lockdown.
The promoters interacted with the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries and shared the challenges faced in running the cold chain projects during the lockdown period.
"It saves the farmers from uncertain circumstances and also facilitates stabilization of market prices. The Food Processing Industry has the potential to absorb the excess farm produce thereby benefiting the farmers and at the same time, convert the harvest into a value added processed product that can meet the domestic as well as the global demand," the Union Minister added.
She aslo stated that the Cold Chain Infrastructure provides backbone support by storing the perishables and ensuring the availability of fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
The promoters involved in export of processed food items expressed their concerns on the rising prices of (sea/air) freight which is rendering their product less competitive in the global arena.
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The promoters expressed their concerns on the decision of the local government authorities to limit the hours of operations of Mandis to avoid overcrowding.
According to the sources, they said that the limited hours of operations have slowed down the procurement process thereby leading to large waiting queues. They further shared that delay affects the quality of perishable food products and significantly reduces their price while leading to wastage in certain cases. They pitched for 24*7 operations of the Mandis to ensure seamless supply of recently harvested fruits and vegetables.
Citing the low domestic demand amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, the industry representatives from the Cold Chain sector, unanimously pitched for subsidy in the power tariffs. They urged that a Cold store needs to function 24*7 and the plant compressors cannot be shut at any point of time.
Moreover, the promoters elaborated that they are experiencing a liquidity crunch due to obligation for the wages and salaries of employees and labourers, and urged for subsidy on power tariffs along with interest subvention on loans.
