CM Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurates cold-storage in Kamrup district

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKO: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday inaugurated a 5,000 metric-tonne-capacity cold-storage facility at Chhaygaon and a fruit-processing centre at the food-processing park at Satabari in the Kamrup district.

The cold-storage facility has been constructed by the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board at a cost of Rs 24.75 crore. The "chiller" and "freezer" rooms of this facility, that is likely to benefit farmers of Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup, Goalpara, Nalbari and Barpeta districts, have storage capacities of 550 metric-tonne and 575 metric-tonne respectively. While the "chiller" rooms would be meant for the storage of agricultural items such as potatoes, fruits and other vegetables, the "freezer" room would be of use in the storage of milk and milk products. The fruit-processing unit, on the other hand, has been built at a cost of Rs 2.89 crore. It is worth mentioning that this fruit-processing unit is the first of its kind in the state.

Speaking at a public meeting correlating held at the Chhaygaon College playground, the Chief Minister appealed to the youths of the state to focus on processing and packaging agriculture produces and items. Stating that the State's products such as ginger, pepper, lemon, and joha rice have had great demand in the national and international market, the Chief Minister said the farmers of these items shall be able to reap remunerative values for their products only if their produces are further processed and packaged, which will add to their value-addition. This, he said, would have a huge positive impact on the ongoing process of strengthening the State's economy. Owing to the State government's initiatives, there has been annual export of horticulture produce to the tune of Rs 200 crore in the past couple of years, the Chief Minister exuded confidence in days to come, this figure can easily cross the Rs 1,000-crore mark. He appealed to the Department of Agriculture to take necessary measures in this regard. Stating that the State's economy is still highly dependent on agriculture, the Chief Minister, spoke about the initiatives of the State government towards modernization in the agricultural sector, expanding the market for agricultural produce and attracting the youths towards the sector, among others. He also spoke about the initiatives for rice mills at 220 places and paddy-storage facilities at 110 places in the state. The entrepreneurs and industrialists have been able to garner as much as 50% subsidies on these rice mills and paddy storage units, he added. The Chief Minister also appealed to the people of the State to come forward and get involved in agarwood, teak-wood cultivation, etc, and move towards the path of self-reliance and economic independence.

The Chief Minister said the government shall, from this time, ensure the Minimum Support Price for rice would be raised to at least Rs 2,006. Similarly, 9 lakhs new beneficiaries will be added to the Arunoday scheme from next month, the Chief Minister added. The Chief Minister further added that from coming January, around 52 lakh of the State's population would be provided ration cards, he said this group of people would be entitled to free health coverage worth Rs 5 lakhs per year. He further added that from next year, construction of 25 new colleges would also be taken up, a press release said.

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