VIJAYAWADA: The State Government on Monday signed a tripartite agreement with Andhra Pradesh Women Development Society and Lawrencedale Agro Processing Private Limited for integrated tomato value chain development. The integrated value chain will cover 20 farmer-producer organisations benefitting 20,000 tomato farmers.
The Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society entered the MoU with other two organisations in presence of Minister for Agriculture Kakani Govardhan Reddy at the secretariat. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been implementing unique schemes to benefit all sections and one such scheme is for the welfare of tomato producers.
“Integrated tomato value chain development programme was initiated in public-private partnership mode to ensure there is no role of middlemen in tomato sales and the farmers stand to benefit at large,” added the minister.
Tomato is on the list of the Central government’s Operations Green under which food processing units are being set up for tomatoes, onions and potatoes. The food processing society (FPS) set up as an extension of agriculture department will help in ensuring that tomato farmers stand to benefit.
“Normally owing to fluctuations in demand and supply, tomato prices are either increased or decreased bringing losses to either consumers or farmers. Whenever there is high demand and low supply, the government is taking up market intervention and providing tomatoes through rythu bazaars at a reasonable price,” said the minister.
“Now, with integrated tomato value chain development, the farmers who have been suffering due to erratic weather conditions and oversupply will able to stabilise their incomes from tomato crop,” Kakani elaborated.
According to the minister, Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society has taken up 20 primary processing units in the state with an estimated cost of `110 crore and works pertaining to four of them have been completed. Measures are being taken for their inauguration next month. Operation and maintenance of food processing units will be handed over to food processing societies.
Andhra Pradesh Women Development Society will be entrusted the task of cleaning, washing, grading and other food processing procedures, while marketing chain development will be taken up by Lawrencedale Agro Processing Private Limited.
Kakani congratulated Principal Secretary (Marketing and Cooperative Soceity) Chiranjeevi Chowdary, Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Soceity CEO L Sridhan Reddy. AP Women Development Society CEO CS Reddy, Lawrencedale Agro Processing Private Limited CEO P Vijayaraghavan and others were present.