Punjab to become majot fruit juice exporter

Chandigarh, July 6 (UNI) The Punjab government today approved a blue print for setting up a network of agri-processing infrastructure on a scale capable of eventually turning the state into the biggest producer and exporter of processed fruit and vegetable products in the world.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal gave his go ahead this morning to the proposal for expanding number of fruit and vegetable juice plants which stood at a bare two at present.

The move was aimed at transforming the agricultural landscape in the state from the traditional grain-oriented patterns into the genuinely diversified forms to make Punjab the leading producer and exporter of fruit and vegetable juices in the world, an official release said.

Punjab has an achievable potential of bringing 70 per cent of its 10. 5 lakh acre land under horticulture programme and this could dramatically change the income patterns of the Punjab farmers. The average gross annual income could shoot from the present Rs 30,000 per acre to anything between Rs 1,20000 to Rs 1,50,000 per acre. The jump in terms of net income would be even more dramatic," Mr Badal said.

Citrus would serve as the prime mover in the new initiative. Over the next four years, the stage government plans to bring four lakh acres of land under the fruit and vegetable cultivation. This would be backed with a network of cold chain and processing units throughout the state.

The Chief Minister would be inaugurating a Multi Fruit and Vegetable processing plant, first of its own kind in the world and largest plant in the Asia tomorrow at Hoshiarpur. Built at the cost of Rs 38 crores, this is the only plant in the world which can process all fruits and vegetables being produced in India. It can switch from processing of one fruit to another fruit within 4 hours only.

In the meantime, the state government's move to usher in contract farming in the state got a boost this week with 5500 farmers opting for the scheme in just six days. The trend is like to catch on in the coming days and months.

Under the scheme, the absentee farmers who usually lease out the land for Wheat and Rice would set up fruit orchids on the land whereas the ownership would remain with the landlord.

The farmer would get a lease amount of Rs 8000-12,000 per acre with 2 per cent increase every year.

The owner and the Council will go on a fifty-fifty profits and risks sharing arrangement after five years. The land with the established Orchard will be handed over to the farmer after the completion of the 12 years contract. The orchid will have a life span of 30 years.

Equally concerned with providing marketing back up for the future fruit production and also to provide value addition to the farmers by processing them, the Chief Minister also approved the blue print of cold chain network to market the fruits in the southern and western India.

UNI