Sambalpur will get 'Odishi Fresh', vegetable outlets soon to be developed on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Sambalpur district collector, Balwant Singh today said that 12 vegetable outlets would be opened. "The horticulture department will implement the proposal," said Singh.
"The 12 vegetable outlets will be opened in Sambalpur, Burla and Hirakud. The outlets will be opened under the 'Vegetable Initiative for Urban Cluster Scheme' of the 'Rastriya Krishi Vikash Yojan'.
It is a project of the Government of India, said deputy director of horticulture department, Sudarsan Nanda. If materialised, the 'Odishi Fresh' will be like 'Uddyan Fresh'
Nanda also informed that an aggregator has already been selected for this purpose. "The aggregator will be provided with land. And he will instal the pre-fabricated structures at the identified places," said Nanda.
The vegetables will be collected from the village level cluster. One cluster will comprise of 8 to 10 villages. A non-governmental organisation, Citron consultancy private limited has been entrusted with the responsibility to form the cluster. It will also train farmers on vegetable farming, impart them with the knowledge of new production technology, and build their capacity.
The aggregator will collect the vegetables from the cluster. The aggregator will also store the vegetables in Sambalpur and sell them to the consumer through the outlets at strategiv locations.
"With the opening of these outlets, the consumers will avail fresh vegetables in hygienic places at reasonable prices. Moreover, it will also help in encouraging the vegetable cultivation in this area. The farmers will also find reasonable price for their labour," Nanda added. He also informed that the project would be expanded to Jharsuguda in future.
