An effective chain management system will ensure uninterrupted supply of essentials across the state, the food and agriculture department promised on Monday, hours before the chief minister extended the lockdown till April 30. A high-level committee continues to monitor aggressively the supply chain at the state and district level, with collectors directed to act against hoarders and price rise, they said.
There is an adequate stock of fertilizers and seeds to help farmers continue operations, agriculture secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said, adding that fruits and vegetables would be sold through mobile shops. “We have fertilizers - 1.03 lakh tonnes of urea and 82,910 tonnes of diammonium phosphate – to last at least one-anda-half months,” he said, adding that in at least eight districts fertilizers were being sold at farmers’ doorsteps.
Shops selling agriculture machinery, spare parts, (including the supply chain) have been exempted from lockdown measures and the initial confusion over sale of vegetables and fruits had been sorted out with the government stepping in and selling 3,341 tonnes through 5,421 mobile shops with the help of local bodies, and horticulture and agriculture departments. In Chennai, the CMDA operated 50 mobile shops, while the city corporation had 1,100 mini trucks for groceries and 4,200 pushcarts for vegetables.
The horticulture department sources vegetables and fruits from Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram or through farm producers’ organisations and sells them through the e-thottam web portal in Chennai. “While the state has 138 cold storage facilities with a capacity of 13,619 tonnes, only 33% of the capacity was availed of so far,” Bedi said. Of the storage capacity of 86,000 tonnes in godowns, only one third has been used so far.
The state has waived cold storage fee, godown rent, and market fee of 1% for traders in regulated markets. Thirty-five tonnes of flowers, otherwise perishable, are sent daily to scent factories in Dindigul, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Virudhunagar and Coimbatore, while 1,200 tonnes of banana and watermelon sent to southern states. Food secretary Dayanand Kataria said 19-item grocery kits at Rs 500 each will be available in 2-3 days in cooperative stores, Amudham departmental stores and mobile shops.
There is an adequate stock of fertilizers and seeds to help farmers continue operations, agriculture secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said, adding that fruits and vegetables would be sold through mobile shops. “We have fertilizers - 1.03 lakh tonnes of urea and 82,910 tonnes of diammonium phosphate – to last at least one-anda-half months,” he said, adding that in at least eight districts fertilizers were being sold at farmers’ doorsteps.
Shops selling agriculture machinery, spare parts, (including the supply chain) have been exempted from lockdown measures and the initial confusion over sale of vegetables and fruits had been sorted out with the government stepping in and selling 3,341 tonnes through 5,421 mobile shops with the help of local bodies, and horticulture and agriculture departments. In Chennai, the CMDA operated 50 mobile shops, while the city corporation had 1,100 mini trucks for groceries and 4,200 pushcarts for vegetables.
The horticulture department sources vegetables and fruits from Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram or through farm producers’ organisations and sells them through the e-thottam web portal in Chennai. “While the state has 138 cold storage facilities with a capacity of 13,619 tonnes, only 33% of the capacity was availed of so far,” Bedi said. Of the storage capacity of 86,000 tonnes in godowns, only one third has been used so far.
The state has waived cold storage fee, godown rent, and market fee of 1% for traders in regulated markets. Thirty-five tonnes of flowers, otherwise perishable, are sent daily to scent factories in Dindigul, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Virudhunagar and Coimbatore, while 1,200 tonnes of banana and watermelon sent to southern states. Food secretary Dayanand Kataria said 19-item grocery kits at Rs 500 each will be available in 2-3 days in cooperative stores, Amudham departmental stores and mobile shops.
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