Union agriculture minister Chouhan assures to address problems of banana farmers and exporters

Nashik: Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday reiterated Centre's commitment to improving the overall welfare of banana-growing farmers, saying central govt would provide significant subsidies for cold storage units, ripening chambers and modern storage infrastructure as part of the banana cluster project.Speaking at an interaction with banana farmers at Kavayitri Bahinabai Chaudhari North Maharashtra University in Jalgaon, Chouhan said Centre had approved a Rs 200-crore banana cluster project for Jalgaon district to focus on clean planting material, pre-cooling facilities, cold-chain development and new processing industries."As banana production rises, developing value-added products through processing becomes essential," the Union minister said. Emphasising banana's nutritional value, he said efforts were underway to boost domestic consumption and address hurdles in the export supply chain. Chouhan also cautioned that strict action would be taken against those who artificially depress banana prices.Chouhan announced the creation of a dedicated scientific team to tackle diseases affecting banana crops and assured farmers of access to high-quality planting material. He told officials to immediately clear pending drip-irrigation subsidies. To safeguard farmers' incomes, he said govt would tighten oversight on intermediaries and implement measures under the market intervention scheme.The Union minister said agriculture policies must be formulated with direct involvement from farmers. Praising Jalgaon's reputation as India's "Banana City", he extended greetings for Gudi Padwa.The event was attended by Union minister of state for sports Raksha Khadse, state water resources minister Girish Mahajan, MP Smita Wagh, MLA Amol Jawale, vice-chancellor V L Maheshwari, Union agriculture joint secretary Priya Ranjan, district collector Rohan Ghuge, ZP CEO Meenal Karnawal, SP Dr Maheshwar Reddy, among others.