Cold storage plant will aid horticulture farmers

SHIMOGA: The long pending demand of fruit and flower growers in the district for a cold storage unit has finally been approved by the state government.
A huge cold storage facility at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore will come up on 8.33 acres of land granted by district administration at Urgadur village six kilometres from Shimoga. The facility will be managed by the horticulture department.
The facility, to be funded by both the Centre and state governments, will provide space for storage, packing and grading of fruits. Once the construction of this facility is complete, it will protect the growers from the losses they suffered due to the lack of cold storage.
Every year, more than 750 to 800 tonnes of ripe fruit and flower would rot due to the lack of storage. The Centre is keen on promoting floriculture in the district, said M Viswanath, deputy director of horticulture department. A large number of farmers, particularly women, have evinced interest in cultivating traditional and cut flowers. The new storage facility will help promote export quality graded flowers and fruits, he added.
Fruits such as banana, sapota, mango and pineapple grown on thousands of hectares in the district can now be preserved for longer without any concerns. The grading system available in the proposed unit will also help growers separate high quality products for export purposes.
With government support, many women have started growing export quality flowers in the district. Asha Sheshadri, an enterprising farmer of Kanangi village in Theerthahlli taluk, is the first lady in the district to develop rare flowers using green house technology. She has won several national and international awards for cultivating anthurium, orchids and other rare varieties of export quality flowers.