ADB and Bagalkote officials discuss improving horticulture infrastructure

Bagalkote: An Asian Development Bank (ADB) team recently had a meeting with Bagalkote Deputy Commissioner Sangappa to discuss how to develop the horticulture sector in the district. Several key issues were discussed, including setting up cold storage units, processing horticulture produce, and packaging and storage facilities in the district.

Currently, six cold storages are being operated in the district, but they don’t have enough capacity to store the total horticultural products of the district. The team said that it is conducive to setting up more cold storage units under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Focus was given on the development of infrastructure and coordination between farmers based on demand and supply. The Deputy Commissioner shared the success of recent farmer-buyer collaboration events held in the district.

The ADB team also stressed the development of mobile apps and the use of social media platforms so that weather and natural calamity information can be shared before their occurrence.

They also discussed special packages for grapes and pomegranates and purchasing costly processing equipment through FPOs. Discussion also took place about the establishment of auction centers at hobli and taluk levels and on the improvement of the nurseries so that farmers can get quality plants under the Clean Plant Programme. Several horticulture experts were also present on this occasion.