Ranchi, Oct 26 (PTI) Jharkhand Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey on Monday inaugurated a cold storage facility with a capacity of 5,000 tons in Ranchi district, built at Rs 15.01 crore.
Located in Budhakhukhra village in Mandar block, the facility is equipped with a 100-kilowatt solar power plant to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply, officials said.
The minister said the facility would help preserve farmers’ produce, reduce post-harvest losses and enable them to secure better prices in the market.
“Construction of the cold storage facility began in 2018 but was halted for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. It took nearly eight years to complete the project, but it is a matter of pride for me to implement it on the ground in the interest of farmers,” she said.
The state government is committed to providing farmers with facilities that can boost their income and prosperity, she added.
Tirkey also handed over various vehicles, worth Rs 1.04 crore, to cooperative societies and farmer-producer organisations (FPOs) to strengthen the transportation and marketing of agricultural produce.
The assets included nine pickup vehicles, two mini trucks and two mobile vending carts. PTI RPS RPS SOM
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