The Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation (Horticorp) began procurement of vegetables from Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday as part of a market intervention programme to curb price rise in the State.
Twelve tonnes of vegetables were collected from six farmer-producer organisations (FPO) in Tenkasi district. This was expected to reach Pathanamthitta on Wednesday night.
The initial consignment consisted of 750 kg tomato, 510 kg brinjal (two varieties), 1,900 kg shallots, 915 kg ladies’ finger, 765 kg snake gourd and 270 kg cluster beans. The vegetables will be distributed in Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, said Horticorp managing director J. Sajeev.
In the first week, Horticorp plans to carry out the procurement on all days. Subsequently, it will be trimmed to thrice a week. The volume of procurement will vary depending on the requirement, said Mr. Sajeev, adding that orders have been placed for Thursday and Friday.
Horticorp had inked an agreement with a consortium of seven Tenkasi FPOs for direct procurement as part of a market intervention measure launched by the Agriculture department to keep prices down. As per the deal, the bills have to be settled within 24 hours.
