OUR CORRESPONDENT
MANGALDAI: After years of lying abandoned, there is finally a ray of hope for the farmers of Kharupetia. The much-awaited 5,000 MT cold storage facility at Kharupetia, built at a cost of Rs 25 crore and inaugurated way back on February 20, 2021, has now been leased to a Chandigarh-based company, Pushtar Logistic and Warehouse Company.
The lease was finalised in May this year. The company will operate the cold storage facility at a monthly rent of Rs 2,25,000. Sources said the facility is likely to become functional within the next six months. For farmers in Kharupetia, Dalgaon, Besimari and the surrounding areas, collectively known as the Vegetable Hub of Assam and the Northeast, this is welcome news.
For years, the cold storage facility, whose foundation stone was laid on February 29, 2016, remained non-functional. Following its inauguration by then Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar via video conferencing, along with a local ceremony, the complex reportedly became a hub of anti-social activities.
Now, farmers hope that with Pushtar Logistic's entry, they will finally have a facility to store potatoes, tomatoes, fruits and vegetables at scientifically controlled temperatures. This will help reduce post-harvest losses and enable them to fetch remunerative prices. "If the cold storage starts functioning, we will not have to sell our produce at distress prices. We can store it and wait for a fair price," said Habibur Rahman, an ideal and progressive farmer from Bihudiya village in Kharupetia.
However, farmers remain cautious, as they have heard similar promises before. They now want the government and the company to ensure that the cold storage becomes operational within six months, that rental charges remain affordable for small and marginal farmers, and that priority is given to local growers in Kharupetia. They have also called for a mechanism to ensure minimum support prices for their produce.
The question now is: Will this lease finally end the long wait for Kharupetia's farmers, or will it turn out to be another promise that eventually fades away?