Following the overwhelming response to the Farm Fresh Vegetable Outlets during the past 100 days in Chennai, two Farm Fresh Fruits Outlets were opened in the city on Monday by Minister for Co-operation, K Raju. The outlets are located at the Anna Road Kamadhenu Complex and at the Chinthamani Cooperative Wholesale Market near Anna Nagar Roundtana.
People can get rare fruits like thuriyan, ramar seethaphazham, lettuce, zucchini (yellow and green), red cabbage, celery, China cabbage, broccoli, fashion fruit, elakki banana, chevvazhai, kathali banana and strawberries among others. Very soon, two mobile shops, operated by the TUCS, will be opened to sell vegetables. The Farm Fresh Vegetable Outlets were started by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on June 20 as part of her efforts to cushion the people from the onslaught of rise in the prices of vegetables. A whopping 1904.641 metric tonnes of vegetables worth `5.32 crore have been sold through the 31 Farm Fresh Vegetable Outlets in Chennai and its suburban areas till October 16. As many as 31 varieties of vegetables are sold through these outlets.
Fresh vegetables are sold at these outlets at the cost price to the people and since the vegetables are procured directed by the co-operative societies, farmers too benefit from them as they need not approach middlemen. Around 15 to 17 metric tonnes of vegetables are procured from 5,000 farmers in Thangammapatti, Maniyakkaranpatti, Palani and Chatrapatti of Dindigul district, Pakalur, Perigai, Chettipalli, Rayakottai of Krishnagiri district, Olakkur and Vellimalai of Villupuram district, Arani and from Nilgiris district. Krishnagiri contributes 40 per cent of vegetables.
At a time when the onion price was at the highest, the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Marketing Federation has procured onion from Maharashtra and sold it at `20 per kg to the public, paving the way for controlling the onion price in open market. As on October 12, 560 metric tonnes of onion (big) has been procured from Maharashtra and sold through these outlets.
The Cooperation Minister also opened an air-conditioned outlet of the Women’s Cooperative Market at Adyar on Monday. A 55 inch colour television would be installed at the Anna Nagar outlet for the customers to learn about the welfare schemes of the State government.