Mumbai: Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Adv. Manikrao Kokate has directed the formulation of a new policy based on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to establish agriculture malls in every district of the state, similar to the one planned in South Solapur. These malls aim to provide farmers with all agricultural products and services under one roof, along with a marketplace to sell their produce.
The minister was speaking during a meeting held at Mantralaya to address pending agricultural issues in South Solapur and to discuss matters related to the Agriculture College in Sangli district. The meeting was attended by South Solapur MLA Subhash Deshmukh, MLA Sadabhau Khot, Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare, and other senior officials from the Agriculture Department.
Adv. Kokate announced that an Agriculture Bhavan and market mall will be established in Solapur. This initiative will offer farmers a new market for their produce, while citizens of the city will benefit from direct and affordable access to fresh vegetables, fruits, millets, pulses, and other farm-based products.
Following this model, similar agriculture malls will be set up in each district on land available with the Agriculture Department. This will help farmers save time and gain access to both inputs and market facilities at a single location.
The minister also mentioned that the concept of "One Crop, One Village" is under consideration to further boost agricultural productivity and efficiency.
In addition, Adv. Kokate directed officials to immediately allocate funds and commence work on the Krantisinh Nana Patil Government College of Food Technology in Peth, Sangli district, emphasizing that the work must not be delayed and should be treated as a priority.
