<b>Letters:</b> Dressing and preserving

One way to mitigate farm produce issues is by dealing with perishable commodities

With reference to the editorial, “Problems of plenty” (February 22), one way to mitigate farm produce issues that hamper farmers’ economic prospects is by dealing with perishable commodities such as horticulture and vegetables separately.  

In Haryana, several district headquarters have modern fruit and vegetable markets along their peripheries. Shops constructed in these large open spaces are lying vacant for years. Such infrastructure could be used to start small agro-based units for making pickles and jam, which convert perishables into products with a long shelf life. Ahratias —licensee middlemen — may be provided with financial assistance to start such units on a small scale. 

In the wealthy states everything is available except the will to start such units. India needs to learn from European countries where groups of villages or a region produce their own wine or cheese. 

The National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal or the National Institute of Food Technology and Management in Sonepat can help bring about a revolution in food processing in Haryana. Millions of women organised into self-help groups under the National Rural Livelihood Mission could utilise their kitchen skills in the pickle- and jam-making units. 

The vegetable dressing industry could also be developed at these markets with government support. Once dressed, vegetables may be preserved easily. By developing this industry, municipalities would save money otherwise spent on collecting wet garbage from households. When the authorities can spend on meat dressing units in cities, even sending doctors to certify their hygiene, why not adopt a similar approach for vegetables?

One good prospect for the vegetable dressing industry is pea. Its green pod is fodder for animals, but in the waste basket of kitchens it turns into a nuisance. The government should consider setting up vegetable dressing units in villages under the rural employment guarantee scheme. Intermediate technologies, not state-of-the-art ones, are all that are needed to extend the shelf life of vegetables by a few weeks.

Subsidised, preserved vegetables can be used to cook midday meals in schools.
 

Y P Issar, Karnal

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