Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) plans to set up a cold storage unit at Lasalgaon near Nashik for storage of onions and other perishable produce.
The foundation stone for the cold storage will be laid jointly by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on July 30, said Central Railway chief PRO Sunil Udasi in a release here tonight.
The cold storage will benefit farmers and reduce spoilages by 35 per cent, he said.
The cold storage unit will have a total capacity of 2500 MT, of which 1500 MT will be exclusively utilised for onion storage and remaining for other perishable commodities such as fruits and vegetables.
"This cold storage will be a boon for the farmers of the area, especially the onion growers," Udasi said.
WR's chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar said the cold storage is being set up as a CSR project by CONCOR, a Railway undertaking, at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
"The facility will be maintained by Lasalgaon, Vibhag Cooperative Purchase and Sale Union Ltd," Bhakar said.
Railways is a major transporter of onions and plays a key role in timely transportation of the commodity to various consumer market from producer states.
To reduce the spoilages, Indian Railways allots the rakes/wagons on priority basis wherever possible for carriage of onion, he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)