3 cold stores to come up in Shimla, Kullu soon

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 28

In its bid to check cartelisation by private players, the state-run Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) is set to add three controlled atmospheric (CA) stores of 700 metric tonnes (MT) capacity each ahead of this apple season. The CA store will be launched one each at Patlikuhal in Kullu and Oddi and Jarol Tikkar, both in the Kotgarh area of Shimla district.

With the upgradation of the three stores to CAS, the HPMC would have a capacity of 3,460 MT to store fruit this season. It has already a 680-MT capacity CA store at Gumma in Kotkhai and a 680-MT capacity store at Jarol Tikkar in Kotgarh.

But, the HPMC has no such facility for farmers in Chopal, Rohroo and Jubbal, rue farmers. Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes have set her sights on Kotgarh and Kumarsain, the area she represents, which will have now a 2,080-MT capacity CA store, they say.

Now, Adani Agrifresh Private Ltd boasts most of the CA stores in the state — one each at Sainj in Theog, Rohroo and near Rampur. Him Agrifresh run its store, which has a capacity of 5,400 MT, at Balghar near Sainj, while Devbhoomi has a store at Matiana.

Private players have been running its CA stores operating like a cartel controlling the apple prices and markets. They did all they could to pressurise the government not to allow the HPMC to open CA stores, but they failed, said horticulture experts.

“A sum of Rs 3 crore each has been allocated to each CA store. Work on the three CA stores has begun and we hope farmers can avail this facility in September,” said Prakash Thakur, vice-chairman, HPMC. The Patlikuhal CA store will have a capacity of 700 MT and cater to farmers of the Kullu valley, which has no such store so far,” he added.

Thakur said the HPMC store would help check the cartelisation of the CA store, apple prices and markets. “We are proposing to start more CA stores in Chopal, Rohroo and other parts of the state as the Rs 1000-crore horticulture project is about to be launched in the state,” he added.