‘Rules out separate vegetable mandi’
Waris Fayaz
Srinagar, Mar 24 : The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday informed the House that it has facilitated the establishment of over 17 Food Processing Units (FPUs) in three years in Sopore while ruling out any plans for development of a separate vegetable mandi for Sopore.
Replying to a query raised by MLA Irshad Rasool Kar, the government , clarified that no such proposal is under consideration for separate vegetable mandi in Sopore, stating that the existing Fruit & Vegetable Mandi, spread over 473 Kanals, has sufficient capacity to accommodate vegetable trade.
“The Mandi has 15 auction platforms, with one currently under construction. In the financial year 2024-25, it recorded a trade volume worth Rs 1300 crore,” the response reads.
Minister Incharge of Agriculture Production, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Cooperative, and Election Departments also informed that the government established three food processing units under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), while the Pradhan Mantri Formulation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme led to the establishment of 14 micro food processing units.
Additionally, the government said that it has established Apple Juice Plant with a capacity to crush 10,000 MT of apples annually, Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit with a capacity to produce 65,000 MT of apple packaging material, Fruit and Vegetable Processing Centre at Doabgah, Sopore, Apple Product Processing Facilities at Doabgah under the Common Incubation Centre (CIC) and 40 MT Integrated Pack House with pre-cooling and cold room facilities for apples, also located in Doabgah—(KNO)
