Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa lays foundation stone at Perundurai, Erode

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa has laid the foundation for the agriculture terminal market complex (TMC) at Perundurai State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Sipcot), Erode district. The complex will be set up at a cost of Rs 120.62 crore under the public-private partnership model.

According to the state government, nearly 100,000 farmers across seven districts would benefit from this. It is expected to create jobs for 200 people directly and 800 indirectly. Further, the TMC would reduce the post-harvest loss of farm goods from 30 per cent to 10 per cent.

The complex has a capacity to handle an average 1,500 tonne farm goods per day and each collection centre 75 tonnes per day.

Agriculture Department officials said the facility was the first-of-its-kind in the country being promoted in public-private partnership, and would spread across 47.9 acre land.

Of the total cost, the National Horticulture Mission would give Rs 28 crore and the agriculture marketing department Rs 1 crore. The share of ryots would be Rs 3 crore.

The main aim of the TMC was to mobilise flowers, vegetables and fruits from 20 collection centres, to be set up under the new initiative, in Erode, Salem, the Nilgiris, Namakkal, Karur, Coimbatore and Tirupur.

Of the total collection, 70 per cent would be perishable and the rest non-perishable commodities, officials said. It will also have cold storage units.

Apart from selling the goods on the spot, it will also sell through e-business.

A minimum commission of three per cent would be charged on the goods being sold. This would be the revenue for the TMC. Those goods that could not be sold through the collection centres could be brought to the cold storage unit of the TMC. According to the price quoted by traders, the goods would be sold later. The TMC would also store the farm goods in the unit. Similar markets would come up soon at Chennai and Madurai, they added.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Economy & Policy / by BS Reporter / Chennai, March 06th, 2012

As many as 16 Bulk Milk Chilling (BMC) plants with a capacity of 5,000 litres and costing Rs 20 lakh each are being set up in Coimbatore District to ensure quality and flavour in the milk as part of the modernisation exercise, said C. Siraj, General Manager of Coimbatore District Milk Producers Union (CDCMPU).

Talking to “The Hindu”, Mr.Siraj said that the installation works in respect of 11 plants were almost nearing completion and the rest would also be completed shortly. These plants are coming up in major villages catering to the needs of the dairy farmers in the nearby ten villages for each chilling plant. At present, CDCMPU has procurement facility and chilling plants at Sultanpet, Shanmugapuram, Annur and Tirupur. It takes nearly three hours for the milk to reach the chilling plant and by then the milk develops bacterial growth and it had to be once again children to regain the quality and flavour. Now, the milk would reach the BMCs within half-an-hour enabling the retention of quality and flavour of the milk avoiding bacterial growth.

Mr.Siraj also said that CDCMPU which earns a profit of nearly Rs 2 crore per month is all set to embark on a massive modernisation and expansion plan at Rs 27.27 crores utilising its own funds. The exercise would take the existing milk handling capacity from 2 lakh litres to 5 lakh litres. At present, the union with a capacity of 2 lakh litres was handling closer to 2.34 lakh litres. It was registering an average sale of 1.53 lakh litres per day and it would soon go up to 1.74 lakh litres. There is enough procurement and marketing potential and the CDCMPU was just waiting for capacity augmentation and modernisation drive to be completed so as to tap the full potential. At present CDCMPU was meeting the shortfall in milk faced by Chennai City, Udhagamandalam, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

With regard to dairy farmers’ welfare, Mr.Siraj said that CDCMPU was at present giving 0.50 paise as incentive to the farmers for every litre of milk procured and had written to the Government for enhancing it to Rs 1. Similarly, efforts are on to get milch cows to 3,500 dairy farmers through loans from banks at 10 per cent interest and 25 per cent back ended assistance from NABARD.

Parlours and by-products:

CDCMPU is also planning to set up hi-tech parlours to provide milk and by products round the clock and these hi-tech parlours with buildings at Rs 15 lakhs and Rs 10 lakh of interiors and accessories would come up at the Pachapalayam Dairy Unit of CDCMPU and its marketing office at R.S. Puram besides one at Tirupur near Veerapandi Pirivu, Mr.Siraj said. In addition, the CDCMPU is also planning to open up outlets through franchisees in 20 places across the city.

On market presence, Mr.Siraj said that the issue was not overn opening outlets or offering franchisees and CDCMPU was just waiting for modernisation and capacity augmentation so that the market needs could be met in full without hitches.

Once modernisation drive is completed, the CDCMPU will focus on producing by products of milk such flavoured ice cream in candy and cups, paneer, badam milk and mixture, curd in cups. All these products are expected to hit the market very shortly.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Coimbatore / by V.S. Palaniappan / Coimbatore, February 29th, 2012

Rinac India ltd has launched a new energy efficient pressurised banana ripening chamber, known as the Bana Barn, at Trichy last weekend.

The chamber uses rack type refrigeration that reduces energy use and eliminates wastage. The uniform cooling and ripening process will eliminate possible weight loss and the consequent financial loss to users, according to Mr R. Krishnan, CEO of Rinac.

To raise awareness about the ripening process, challenges faced by farmers in Trichy and the solutions available, the company is also conducting a program called Rinac Connect.

Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com / Publication date: 2/23/2012

via http://www.Freshplaza.com

About 1,000 primary weavers cooperative societies and four lakh handloom weavers in Tamil Nadu are likely to benefit from the new Centrally-sponsored scheme launched in association with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The move will directly impact the Indian handloom sector, the second largest employer in the country after agriculture.

According to Lalitha Venkatesan, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Chennai region, the “Revival, Reform and Restructuring Package for Handloom Sector” will be implemented from the current financial year with a total outlay of Rs.3,884 crore.

The scheme was mooted by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his 2011-12 Budget speech. To be implemented through NABARD, it is likely to benefit 15,000 cooperative societies and three lakh weavers across the country. Funds will be provided for repayment of 100 per cent of principal and 25 per cent interest as on date of loan becoming non-performing asset (NPA), which is overdue as on March 31, 2010 in respect of viable and potentially viable Primary Weavers’ Co-operative Societies and Apex Societies.

Also covered are individual handloom weavers, master weavers, self-help groups and joint liability groups who have taken such loans for handloom weaving purposes, provided the banks agree for sanctioning fresh loans.

There would be an overall ceiling of Rs.50,000 per individual beneficiary as far as funding under this scheme is concerned in respect of waiver of overdues of individual handloom weavers.

The Government has further approved an interest subvention of three per cent for three years to be extended from the date of disbursal of the fresh loan extended by banks to the eligible handloom co-operative societies and individual handloom weavers covered under the scheme. Out of the total amount of Rs. 3,884 crore, the share of the Government of India will be Rs. 3,137 crore and that of the States Rs.747 crore.

With specific reference to Tamil Nadu, she said 1,187 primary weavers cooperative societies were in existence in the State as on March 31, 2011. More than six lakh weavers were employed through 4.13 lakh handlooms in the State. Of that 2.28 lakh looms were under the cooperative fold. In total, the scheme would benefit about four lakh weavers in the State.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com  / News> States> TamilNadu / by G. SathyaMurthy / Chennai, February 24th, 2012