Page 16 - ITLN JAN-FEB 2022 for Magzter

Special Report
Krishi Udan 2.0

who exports fresh produce like ginger,
turmeric and fruits to India’s domestic
market and big retailers like Big Bazaar
via reefer trucks since 2012. She says,
“This scheme would be highly beneficial
for the North East region because now
Farmer Producer Organization (FPO’s)
and FPC’s that were earlier not very
active have now organized the market
a bit. Sourcing many products from
Manipur and Mizoram is still difficult
as communication and logistics is a big
problem. But if we get air freight subsidy
support then the sector here will grow
Farmers must look at very well. We cannot think of sending
doing value addition to our products to certain places owing to
their produce especially the higher logistics cost as we have to
in packaging and compete with the market, so we focus
cleaning so that they only on the Kolkata and Delhi market
now but we want to expand to Mumbai,
can get the best prices Pune and those areas as well. To give an
and reduce wastage and example, if something is coming from more attention being paid and more
invest in modernization Himachal Pradesh to the main markets investment being put into this activity-
in Delhi and Mumbai, they will pay Rs both of which are important. When we
Kanwal Singh Chauhan 2-3 per kg or per km as their logistics do our discussions, we emphasize to
Gulab Fruit growers and marketing cost but from here (North East) it is the state bodies, to look into how best
Cooperative Society
more than Rs 15 for the same distance.” packing or sustainable packing can be
put into this packing.”
fruits and vegetables so these are the Tackling wastage woes: He added, “When we talk of
infrastructure which are required, for Explaining the conditions of perishables we are talking about two
which we have been in regular touch with procurement of perishables, Saharia types of movement, one is of processed
the ministry. As Arunachal Pradesh grows adds, “We routinely procure Kiwis from foods and one is of fresh produce. Apart
mandarin oranges, exporters have to get a remote part of Arunachal called Ziro from standard packing solutions, when
their product harvested and packed in a where modes of communication are it comes to packaging of fresh fruits
place called Dambuk and truck them to still very bad and we procure pineapples and vegetables there are a lot of lessons
Guwahati which is about 300-400 kms. If from Lakhimpur. One cannot imagine to be learnt by the farming community
the custom clearance facility at Dibrugarh the way the farmers bring the produce to explain to them why the quality of
airport would be available then this would in Tokris from the mountains and a lot packing is so important for having a
have helped the exporters to directly of damage ends up happening. Even till higher value realization of the product.
export simply by covering just half the recently the business was running on Packing is not to be taken as some sort
distance. So these kinds of facilities are many assumptions like this, which is of an additional cost to the product but
lacking and are required.” not ideal. Dabbling in the fresh business a methodology by which the product can
is really tough as end-to-end cold be better utilized or utilized for long.”
High risk, high logistics cost chain infrastructure has not been well
Pinky DM Saharia, Founder of Prithvi developed in the (NE) region.” • Need for food processing &
Agrofresh who sends fresh produce Speaking about how sustainable modernization
from Northeast to Delhi avers, “In the packaging can be a game changer for Known for his contribution to crop
Northeast you will not find many people arresting wastage of agri produce, diversification, Kanwal Singh Chauhan,
dealing in perishables because it is a Keku Bomi Gazder, CEO of AAI a Haryana based farmer who is a
high-risk business. There is the time Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Padmashri recipient and the founder
factor and logistics issues that plague the (AAICLAS) told ITLN, “This policy of Gulab Fruit Growers And Marketing
region that is really challenging. Since I has in its scheme the convergence Cooperative Society told ITLN, “While the
have been in this business since 2012 and of 8 ministries and one of the policy would provide a good boost to the
have long-term engagements with many challenges that will be addressed by sector and help farmers to double their
farmers, there is a slight surety from the ministries concerned would be to income, they must look at doing value
farmers of the delivery of agri produce.” effectively use packing such that the addition to their produce especially in
Reaching certain markets in quality of the product is stable, until packaging and cleaning so that they can
different parts of India remains a it reaches the table of the consumer. get the best prices and reducing wastage
challenge for exporters like Saharia That can only happen if there is and invest in modernization.”
14 January - February 2022 www.itln.in