NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Centre is ready to bear the cost of transportation and storage of perishable agri-commodities like tomato, onion and potato (TOP) to bridge the price gap between the producing and consuming states.Sharp spike in the price of TOP during the lean season every year is a major concern for many state governments. Meanwhile, producing states face a lack of proper storage facilities for perishable produce.“In case of TOP crops, to bridge the price difference between producer and consumer states during the peak of harvesting, the Centre has decided to bear the cost of transportation and storage,” Chouhan said.In a virtual meeting with agriculture ministers of states, Chouhan urged them to give suggestions and inputs for the upcoming Union budget for agriculture to fulfil the government’s goal.“For that, we have also talked to farmers and stakeholders,” claimed Chouhan. He also asked the state governments to suggest ideas related to amendments required in the ongoing schemes.He further assured state ministers that the Centre will, from now onwards, correct crop loss assessment due to natural calamities in real time through satellite-based remote sensing technology. The assessment data will be transferred to the insurance company to make payment on time.
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