Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture said that the Central government has decided to include ‘air-conditioned Kisan coach’ in all express trains to carry perishable vegetables and fruits that will help farmers to sell their produce faster and cut their losses.
Speaking at “National Agriculture Technique Conference” at Daulatpur village of Barabanki, Rupala said, “Cold Kisan Rail that aims to help farmers to take perishable fruits & vegetables to the markets quickly. There will be air-conditioned Kisan coaches in every express & freight train”.
The minister further told that similar cold supply chains will be established in the aviation sector also to help push exports. More than 500 cultivators from all over India attended the event organized by Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Department together with IFFCO & “High Tech Agriculture Development Centre” - a group set-up by forward farmers in the state.
It must be noted that the Union budget 2020-21 proposes to set up a seamless national cold -supply-chain for perishables, inclusive of milk, meat & fish with the help of 'Kisan Rail’.
The budget proposes that Indian Railways will establish a ‘Kisan Rail’- via Public-private partnership arrangements. There will be refrigerated coaches in Express as well as Freight trains.
Government sources informed that new Refrigerated Parcel Vans (17 tonnes capacity) for transportation of highly perishable parcel traffic has been made at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala. A fleet of 9 such Refrigerated Parcel Vans are presently available with the Indian Railways.
In addition, 98 Ventilated Insulated Containers (carrying capacity 12 Tonnes/container, rake composition 80 containers) have been obtained for movement of vegetables and fruits to different parts of India.
For seamless transfer, 3 cold storage containers are also ready, 2 in UP (Varanasi and Ghazipur) and 1 in Delhi (Azadpur) as a pilot project under the CSR initiative.
Another cold storage project is under construction at Lasalgaon in Nasik and more such centres are proposed all over India, according to a railway official.
