(a) the steps being taken for running Kisan Rail to help in bringing perishable agricultural produce like vegetables and fruits to the market in a short period of time by having facilities in the train with frozen containers to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables to realise the goal of doubling farmers incomes by 2022; and
(b) if so, the details thereof and the progress made route-wise and zone-wise so far?
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)
(a) and ((b): Under the Kisan Rail Project, potential circuits for movement of vegetables, fruits and other perishables are being identified in consultation with Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Agriculture/Animal Husbandry/ Fisheries Departments of State Governments. The assessment is being done on the basis of seasonal availability of these items for both way traffic, so as to obtain efficiency and economies of scale.
Under the Kisan Rail Project, two train services viz. Devlali& Kolhapur (Maharashtra) to Muzaffarpur (Bihar) and Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) to Adarsh Nagar (Delhi) are already operational. Another service from Yeshwanthpur (Karnataka) to Nizamuddin (Delhi) will become operational very soon. Besides, a reefer container train service is also running between Tadipatri (Andhra Pradesh) to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust for export of banana.
Container Corporation (CONCOR) has also established a cold storage Reefer Park for export of perishables at their Inland Container Depot at Dadri. In addition, Central Railside Warehousing Company (CRWC) has developed a temperature controlled storage facility at Fatuha (Bihar) and another such facility is under development at Mancheswar (Odisha).
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