Fruit-laden Kisan Rail leaves A’pur for Delhi

VIJAYAWADA: The first Kisan Rail from South India, connecting farms to markets, chugged out of Anantapur on Wednesday, and headed to Azadpur mandi in New Delhi carrying 322 tonnes of fresh fruits. The train will run between Guntakal Division of the South Central Railway and Adarsh Nagar in Delhi.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar virtually flagged off the train. Jagan thanked Tomar, PM Narendra Modi, and Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh C Angadi for starting the second Kisan Rail and first from South India, to transport horticulture produce.

He said that though the state is known as the ‘fruit capital’ of South India, it is difficult to tap the market outside AP  due to Covid-19. Despite difficult circumstances, the state government did not abandon the farmers, but collected the produce and exported it to other states, he added.When the Prime Minister was requested to look into the issue, Kisan Rail came as a blessing in disguise, the CM said, and pointed out that 312 lakh MT of horticulture produce is cultivated on 17.42 lakh hectares in the state, and accounts for 15.6 per cent of the fruit production in India.

He also asked railway officials to reduce the fares of the Kisan Rail, and provide remunerative prices to the farmers. The Kisan Rail is carrying 214 tonnes of tomatoes, 138 tonnes of bananas, 32 tonnes of sweet orange, 11 tonnes of papaya, eight tonnes of melons and three tonnes of mangoes from Anantapur to Delhi.

Jagan said the state government has taken up many initiatives in the agricultural sector, and the foremost among them is providing MSP to farmers by introducing the Market Intervention Fund.

Amid the pandemic, tonnes of fruits and vegetables were exported from Anantapur to Mumbai port on 11 special trains. Nearly 45,000 tonnes of bananas, 1,185 tonnes of vegetables, 1,471 tonnes of fresh mangoes and 8,000 tonnes of mango pulp were exported abroad.

Speaking on the occasion, Tomar said Gaon-Garib-Kisan have always been the priority of the Prime Minister. “Efforts have been made in every Budget to make provisions for strengthening the agricultural economy and doubling farmers’ income, and this is now beginning to bear fruit. Kisan Rail and Kisan Udaan were announced in this year’s Budget so farm produce can be transported across the country,” he said.

On August 7, the first Kisan Rail was flagged off between Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in Bihar as a weekly service, which was later made bi-weekly due to an increase in demand. The second Kisan Rail will benefit farmers of the states en route. Tomar expressed appreciation over the new agriculture ordinances and the `1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund in AP.  The Kisan Udaan service will also be started soon.