Kisan rail set to boost exports from Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh produces around 138 types of vegetables and fruits and most of them are exported to other States and other countries.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union budget 2020-2021 on Saturday. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union budget 2020-2021 on Saturday. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS)

VIJAYAWADA: The Kisan Rail announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2020 will be a boon to the farmers of Andhra Pradesh, especially those cultivating horticulture crops, said Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjeevi Chowdary.

Speaking to TNIE, he said a huge variety of horticulture crops including banana, mango, sweet lime, vegetables including tomato are cultivated in the State to a large extent and are exported to other States, especially the Northern States like Delhi. Most importantly, it will help in the reduction of post-harvest residue and contain post-harvest losses since the perishable commodities would be transported in climate-controlled containers.

Andhra Pradesh produces around 138 types of vegetables and fruits and most of them are exported to other States and other countries. The new initiative of the Centre is sure to help the State and encourage more farmers to go for horticulture corps. The Farmers Producer Organisations (FPO) being encouraged in the State would prove to be of great help in facilitating the bulk export of horticulture produce to different States using the Kisan Rail scheme.

According to Chowdary, the Department of Horticulture of Andhra Pradesh had signed an MoU with Desi Fruits Venture (DVF) and Concor (Container Corporation of India) under FPO-PPP, which is a tripartite agreement.  

On January 30, the first train shipment of bananas procured by DVF from FPOs in Anantapur district was dispatched in 43 refrigerator containers from Tadipatri. A total of 890 metric tonnes of Bananas were sent to Mumbai port for exporting the same to Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.

“The shipment should have reached the port by now. The train shipments will be dispatched twice a week till the end of the banana season, which is expected to be around April 15,” Horticulture commissioner said.

He said the department is also requesting the Indian Railways to attach 2-3 containers in Express Trains to transport horticulture produce from Rayalaseema districts to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata on a regular basis.

The Chief General Manager - South Central Region at Concor, D Satyanarayan, at the time of the first train shipment of bananas from Anantapur district, had said trains will help farmers in a big way in connecting with exporters.

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