ALLOCATION
FOR SETTING UP COLD STORAGE
Financial assistance
has been extended to cold storage projects in the States of Gujarat,
Kerala and Maharashtra under the Ministry's scheme during the
last three years. Total assistance extended on these projects
comes to roughly Rs.2.5 crore. In addition, the Ministry has provided
assistance for setting up common facilities including cold storages
in food parks. Such projects have been assisted in the States
of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir,
Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
during the last three years.
Cold storages are
infrastructure projects impacting agricultural producers over
an extended area. Exact co-relation of the number of agriculturists
benefited is, therefore, not centrally monitored.
Ministry of Food
Processing Industries have given prime importance to ensuring
critical infrastructure for food processing industries including
cold storages. The Ministry's allocation in the Tenth Plan has
been increased to Rs.650 crore. Assistance to infrastructure projects
including cold storages/cold chain is a thrust area in the Ministry's
schemes.
This information
was given by Shri N.T.Shanmugam, Minister of State for Food Procesing
Industries in a written reply to a question by Shri Thanga Tamil
Selvan in Rajya Sabha today.
