Centre to subsidise air freight
NEW DELHI, June 24 Recognising the vast scope of the northeastern states to
boost the countrys spice exports, the Centre today announced its plans to
establish cold storage facilities at five airports in the region and
heavily-subsidise air freight to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai for all
export-oriented horticulture products from the region, reports PTI. Launching a
new initiative to start organic cultivation of turmeric, ginger and chilli on a
large scale in Karbi Anglong district, Union Minister of State for Commerce
Jairam Ramesh said though the present contribution of the northeast to Indias
spice exports of about $ 800 million (in 2006/07) was very small, there was a
great scope for increasing it.
For this, he said, his ministry is establishing cold storage facilities at five
airports in the northeastern region Guwahati, Aizawl, Imphal, Agartala and
Dimapur and announced a subsidy scheme by which 90 per cent of air freight to
Kolkata airport and 50 per cent of air freight to New Delhi and Mumbai airports
from northeast airports for all horticulture products meant for exports is
subsidised by the Centre, an official release here said.
Highlighting the social and economic significance of the project to start
organic cultivation of spices, Ramesh reiterated his commitment to giving a
special and vastly expanded northeast focus to the Kochi-based Spices Board,
particularly in the area of organic spices which command a premium in world
markets and in which the northeastern states have a natural competitive
advantage.
These include ginger where the northeast already accounts for over 50 per cent
of the countrys production of turmeric, chilli, black pepper, chilli and large
cardamom. He stressed the need for value addition and the need for
organisations like the producer companies established in Karbi Anglong so that
the benefits of export growth flow directly to tribal families.
Ramesh expressed the hope that the initiative in Karbi Anglong will be
replicated in other parts of the northeast.
Each of the two companies, located in Paroli and Rongmanpi in the Hamren
subdivision of Karbi Anglong, will initially have a plantation area of 500
hectares which will be cultivated over a five-year period, with 175 hectares
being taken up in the first year itself.
Agreements are being signed with private companies for processing and
marketing. The first such MoU has already been signed by Coinonya Farms with
Arjuna Natural Extracts for extraction and marketing of turmeric products. PTI
---------------------------------
Building a website is a piece of cake.
Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online._______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
