The first-ever Kisan Rail of South India chugged out of Anantapur railway station on Wednesday, carrying 322 tonnes of fruits and vegetables to Adarsh Nagar in Delhi after it was virtually flagged off by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of State for Railways Suresh Chanabasappa Angadi.
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“This is a step towards doubling the income of farmers by 2022 and fulfilment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise made in the Union Budget,” said Mr. Tomar, and announced that Kisan Udaan, to send horticulture and agriculture produce by flights, would soon begin from the north eastern States. The first train was run from Deolali (Near Nasik) to Danapur (near Patna). The Centre was committed to investing ₹1 lakh crore in the farm infrastructure, he added.
Freight charges
According to the Chief Minister, 15.6% of the country’s fruit production came from Andhra Pradesh as it is grown in 17.42 lakh hectares, but only 10 to 15% of the produce is consumed locally while the rest is sent to other parts either by road or by sea routes. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, quoting Anantapur MP Talari Rangaiah, told Mr. Angadi to consider reducing the freight charges as current rates were almost equal to transport charges by lorries.
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The State government had created market intervention fund to rescue farmers during the lockdown, he said and reminded the Union Ministers that it was from Tadipatri in Anantapur district that 45,000 metric tonnes of banana were exported last year by Desai Fruits via JNPT in Mumbai.
Current Kisan Rail is carrying 322 tonnes of papaya, sweet lime, mangoes, banana, musk melon, and tomatoes in 13 bogies, while one three-tier AC coach is carrying horticulture farmers, officials from Marketing, Agriculture, and Horticulture Departments, and SLR two bogies are for the railway staff. Guntakal Divisional Railway Manager Alok Tiwari said currently the freight charges were ₹5,136 per tonne and a single train can take a minimum of 150 MT to 460 MT depending on the demand.
Mr. Rangaiah said 58 lakh tonnes of fruits were produced in Anantapur, of which only six lakh tonnes were consumed in a year and the farmers were ready for utilising a train daily from October to send their produce to Delhi, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, and Kolkata.
District Collector Gandham Chandrudu, Anantapur MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy, Hindupur MP Gorantla Madhav and other officials participated in the programme at the railway station.