Nashik: Solar-Powered Cold Storage Offers New Hope For Onion Farmers

In traditional chawls, onions spoil due to heat, humidity and insects, causing huge financial losses to farmers every year. To overcome this problem, priority is now being given to solar-powered multipurpose cold storage. It is believed that this modern technology will allow onions and other vegetables and fruits to be stored safely.

As per the decision of the State Cooperative Marketing Department, a meeting on onion storage was held at the Onion-Garlic Research Centre in Rajgurunagar in the presence of Maharashtra State Agriculture Commission Chairman Pasha Patel to increase the life of the onion crop in the state. It was stated in the meeting that this is a cost-effective solution.

Economically beneficial for farmers

The temperature and humidity are controlled in these cold storages, which increases the shelf life of the agricultural produce. As a result, farmers can store their goods until the market price increases and sell them when they get a good price. This gives them a fair price for their goods. Another feature of these cold storages is that they run on solar energy. This saves a lot on traditional electricity costs and provides an environment-friendly option.

The meeting appealed to farmers to now abandon traditional storage methods and adopt this modern technology by taking advantage of various government schemes and subsidies. All the attendees expressed their belief that if such advanced facilities are available in rural areas, agriculture can become more sustainable and profitable.

The meeting was attended by State Agriculture Commission Chairman Pasha Patel, former Lasalgaon Market Committee Chairman Suvarna Jagtap, farmer representative Deepak Pagar, Kala Biotech office bearers, Exporters Association (New Delhi) Vice President Vikas Singh, Central Warehousing Corporation Commander Ajay Jadu, and Pune Marketing Board Member Suhas Kale.