The Tamil Nadu government has proposed to set up four terminal markets in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai districts with an outlay of Rs 40 crore.
Terminal markets are nodal centres, usually situated in cities, that are linked to the fruit and vegetable production area by collection centres. When implemented, the markets will reduce the post harvest losses of the farmers. In Tamil Nadu, around 30 per cent of fruits and vegetables succumb to post harvest losses.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a Confederation of Indian Industry conference on Agro Food Processing Technologies, state agriculture minister Veerapandi Arumugam said the Centre had sanctioned the project and the Tamil Nadu State Agriculture Marketing Board (TNSAMB) would start work on it.
Apart from the terminal markets, TNSAMB will also develop processing centres for fruits and vegetables in Dindugal, Krishnagiri, Hosur and Coimbatore, each with an outlay of Rs 1 crore within a year.
In order to boost agro processing, the state government has sanctioned around 27 projects to the tune of Rs 125 crore, according to Atul Anand, chief executive officer, TNSAMB.
Though India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, only 2.2 per cent of the goods get processed and a major chunk of processing happens in the unorganised sector.