JOIN USProcessing units in Kolar
He was addressing the district-level meeting of the officers at the Zilla Panchayat office in Kolar on Tuesday. Food parks have been sanctioned at Malur, Jewargi, Bagalkot and Hiriyur in the State. Among these, Jewargi food park is functioning well by exporting vegetables and tur dal. However, food parks at Bagalkot and Hiriyur needs to be developed. Efforts have been directed towards improving Malur food park by establishing cold storage and warehouse.
Providing a market for agricultural produce is a problem in Kolar. Farmers, unable to get a fair price for their tomato crop dump them on streets, this needs to be averted. Also, the farmers need to be assured of the purchase of tomato crop. In addition to all these, tomato processing units need to be established and horticulture needs to be given a boost in the district, elaborated Suresh.
Food processing and harvesting technology in the State needs to be updated on par with the global standards. Also, efforts are underway to enhance the quality of the produce. If all these initiatives are accomplished successfully then Karnataka will be acclaimed as a model State in the nation,” he observed.
The State government has brought about several schemes to boost agricultural production. Farmers who are experimenting in horticulture will be given a special subsidy package. However, information about the same needs to be disseminated, he said.
Among the ten food processing units in Kolar, four are functioning. Also, among the five cold storages in the district, four are in Kolar, said Deputy Director of Horticulture Department Dhanraj.
A mango pulp processing unit in Tamaka has been under loss since past five years and hence it has been closed, he informed.
In order to revive such sick units Joint Agricultural Director, Deputy Director of Horticulture and Deputy Director of Food Department under the aegis of Joint Director of the District Industrial Centre a committee needs to be formed and a report should be submitted after conducting a study, said Deputy Commissioner N Prabhakar.