Market for perishable commodities on cards

The Centre is planning to set model markets in every state across the country to preserve perishable commodities, said minister of state for agriculture K V Thomas.

Speaking on the sidelines of 'Farm to Fork', a two-day international conference-cum exhibition on agri-business and food processing organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry here, he said these markets would preserve commodities such as vegetables and fish. This will help farmers get better remunerative prices.

Such markets already exist in Kerala, he said, adding 51 per cent of the stake in the markets would be held either by the state government or local bodies while the remaining would be with private companies.

According to the minister, the level of food processing in the country was still low at two per cent in the case of fruits and vegetables compared with 80 per cent in the US and 70 per cent in France. Countries like Malaysia and Thailand have processed food volume to the extent of 80 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.