Construction work has begun at Parala, which will soon have Himachal Pradesh’s largest and most modern agriculture market.
The market will come up at Parala in the apple heartland some 50 km from here in Shimla district. Spread over 20 acres it will be built at a cost Rs100 crore in three phases.
Chief Minister P K Dhumal, who laid the foundation stone of the marketing yard here late Monday, said Rs 20 crore has already been released so that a part of the market is able to come into operation by next year’s apple harvest. “The agriculture market will also provide seeds,fertilisers, agriculture implements,plant material and other farm inputs,”said Dhumal.
Once completed the market will be able to handle 200,000(2 lakh) tonnes of fruit and 150,000 tonnes of vegetables at a time.
In the first phase an auction hall,grading and packing line,loading and uploading platforms,administrative block and banking facilities of the marketing committee will be created. In the second phase, shops for traders, storage houses will be constructed.While in the third and final phase cold storage and ripening chambers,residential facilities,rest houses for farmers and traders would be constructed. Dhumal also announced the upgradation and widening of the 86 km long Chhaila-Kumarhatti road so that farmers can by pass Shimla and Solan towns and reach markets of northern India faster. Marketing yards at Jahu in Hamirpur district, Nirmand in Kullu district, Khara Patthar in Shimla district, Dharamsala in Kangra district and Joginder Nagar in Mandi district are also under construction.
