Indian Railways invites EoIs for agri-retail chain

Indian Railways has invited expressions of interest from interested players to set up agriculture retail chain across the country. The railway would use surplus land at non-metro stations for development of facilities for the agri-retail chain.

The plan to set up agri parks on public private participation (PPP) model was announced in the annual Budget earlier this year. The railways have a total 4.23 lakh hectares of surplus land out of which 42,846 hectares is vacant land.

"Our role in the agri business is to provide land and ensuring other support like water and electricity. The hub will be created in non-metro stations facilitating transportation of agri products using rail network," said a senior railway official.

While on one hand the agri hub would would help farmers send their crop faraway destinations, on the other, they would receive seeds and fertilizer through the retail chain facilities.

"The primary objectives behind setting up the agri retail chain are to spread the gains of the fast-growing retail revolution among the farmers and rural masses and also to increase the share of rail freight traffic over medium and long distance segments," said the official.

The tender for agri hub will close on October 22, 2007.