Tenders for the construction of the agricultural commercial complex for banana and other vegetables at Thiruchendurai, sanctioned at a cost of Rs.4 crore, has been finalised, and the work is expected to commence shortly. The foundation stone for the project, to be executed by the District Agricultural Market Committee, was laid by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa during her recent visit to Srirangam constituency.
According to sources, the complex would have a cold storage with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes, where banana and vegetable growers could store their produce. It would also house about 15 shops for traders, a grading hall, and offices. The facility would be provided with generator for power back-up and borewells to meet the requirements of farmers.
To be located off the Jeeyapuram-Kuzhamani Road, close to the banana belt of Musiri-Kulithalai in Tiruchi and Karur district, the facility is expected to come as a boon for farmers as they could now preserve and store their produce. They could directly sell their produce to traders, without having to depend on middlemen, as the facility would provide an interface between traders and farmers.
With banana and vegetables being highly perishable products, farmers would not have to resort to distress sale if the market prices were not remunerative. They could store their produce for a few days for the prices to appreciate. The district administration has already made available the land, about 1.70 acres, for the construction of the building. The facility would come up within the next four to five months, officials indicated.
Meanwhile, work on the construction of a cold storage for vegetables at Thuvarankurichi, sanctioned at a cost of Rs.1 crore under the National Agriculture Development Programme, has begun.
A storage godown with 2000-tonne capacity for agriculture produce sanctioned at a cost of Rs.1 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund of the National Agriculture and Rural Development Bank would come up at Thuraiyur, the sources said.
