Ballari: Agriculture Marketing Minister Shivananda Patil assured the establishment of a red chilli market and cold storage facilities in Ballari to address the long-pending demands of farmers and traders. Assuring Rs 5 crore from the APMC, he also emphasized ensuring sufficient land and infrastructure for the project.Speaking at a meeting organized by the Ballari District Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday evening, Patil said Rs 5 crore would be allocated from APMC for the project, with additional funds to be raised from other sources. While 23 acres of land have been identified, the minister suggested expanding it to at least 50 acres to meet future needs.Ruling out the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model due to feasibility issues, Patil stated that the project would be fully funded through government and APMC resources. “As the Minister of APMC, I am committed to ensuring the establishment of a red chilli market in this district,” he said.Although Ballari has several private cold storage facilities, Patil raised concerns about potential exploitation by private operators and called for government or cooperative cold storage facilities to maintain fair pricing for farmers. “The successful cooperative cold storage model in Vijayapura is an example,” he said.MLA N.R. Bharat Reddy assured his support for the chilli market project and other pending demands of the Chamber. Chamber president Yashwantharaj Nagireddy urged swift action, highlighting that land for the chilli market had already been identified and requested land allocation for an administrative building for the Chamber within the APMC premises.
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