Amarinder flags off fresh vegetables consignment to UK

Amritsar, July 28 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today flagged off the international consignment of fresh vegetables from the newly opened Perishable Cargo Centre at Amritsar Airport.

The first consignment of FieldFresh Foods Private Limited, a venture of Bharti Enterprises and Rothschild was exported to the UK.

Also present on the occasion was Bharti Enterprises vice-chairman and FieldFresh Foods Private Ltd Director Rakesh Bharti Mittal.

The consignment consist of okra (bhindi), bitter gourd (karela) and chili (mirchi) grown in Punjab will now be sold in the supermarkets and other institutional customers in the UK.

Mr Mittal said, ''FieldFresh is proud to be the first exporter of fresh produce from this new facility. The Punjab government has been a major catalyst in bringing about positive changes to the agriculture sector in the state. This facility is an important infrastructure development landmark and a major step towards linking the fields of Punjab with the world.'' FieldFresh was incorporated in 2004 with a vision to ''link Indian fields with the world'' and making India a global food basket, he added.

Mr Mittal said that FieldFresh sources fresh fruits and veetables via collaborative farming. FieldFresh had invested its resources primarily in the state, where over 4000 acres of land is under cultivation.

The Director said that a state-of-the-art FieldFresh Agri Center of Excellence in Ladhowal (Ludhiana), spreading over 300 acres of land would be set up. It would be an integrated research and development facility focusing on crop and varietal trials, progresive farming techniques, identification and adoption of appropriate technologies.

The newly constructed Perishable Cargo Centre at the Amritsar Airport would act as an important point in the cold chain infrastructure in the state and provide a window for produce from the fields of Punjab to reach major international markets.

The Perishable Centre could cater to a variety of fruits and vegetables and has six chambers with temperature ranging from two degree to 10 degree Centigrate and has the capacity to handle 80 MT of fresh produce everyday.

This facility would not only help in reducing multiple handling of the produce and save transit tune but also increase its shelf life. It would also ensure faster delivery of shipments to customers and make the quality of the produce more reliable.

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