Punjab-Apeda to offer post-harvest infrastructure

The Punjab Agri Export Corporation (PAGREXCO) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) for setting of five pack houses in the state. Each pack house will have mechanical grading line, pre-cooling chamber, cold storage, a reefer van and a pick-up van.

To create a cold chain infrastructure in the vegetable and fruit growing clusters of the state to enable growers to realise better prices for their produce, PAGREXCO submitted a project of setting up 10 pack houses at Mushkabad (Ludhiana), Saholi and Lalgarh (Patiala), Kangmai (Hoshiarpur), Babri (Gurdaspur), Bring Mohanpura (Tarntarn), Sandhwan (Faridkot), Malerkotla (Sangrur), Shahkot (Jallandhar), Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala) in the state to Apeda for funding these pack houses, which would cost approximately Rs 12 crore. Apeda has sanctioned Rs 5.35 crore for five pack houses at Mushkabad, Saholi, Lalgarh, Kangmai and Babri. The sites for the location of fruit and vegetable pack house centres has been identified based on the progressive growers in the area, area under cultivation, potential for increase in area under fruits and vegetables and access to markets.