Mysore/Mysuru: In a boon to the farming community, a farmer friendly mega Cold Storage Unit is coming up in APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee) yard at Bandipalya on Mysuru-Nanjangud Road.

This cold storage will help the farmers to store their produce whenever crop prices crash and until the price shoots up. This facility will also help the farmers to store their produce or perishable vegetables, fruits and other grains or commodities, for a long period without any deterioration.

The Unit is funded by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), which has released Rs. 13 crore for the project. The Unit is coming up in a one-acre area in APMC Yard premises. The contractor, who has been awarded the tender for construction, has been asked to complete all works within a year and hand it over to the APMC. The Unit is a four-storeyed structure, including the ground floor.

Once completed, this mega Cold Storage Unit would have the capacity to store 3,750 metric tonnes of agricultural produce, which include food grains, millets, cereals, cash crops, commercial crops, vegetables, fruits and other perishable commodities.

At present, the APMC is witnessing transaction of 250-300 tons of grains, with traders from Tamil Nadu and Kerala forming a major chunk of buyers. Overall, it can be said that the mega storage which was an urgent necessity for farmers of the region, comes as a boon to them.

APMC Superintendent N.B. Bharathkumar said that the Cold Storage Unit is coming up at a cost of Rs. 13 crore and would be constructed in a year. The unit will be of great help to farmers, especially to vegetable and fruit growers as they are perishable items, he said adding that the unit would also benefit traders, buyers and sellers of food grains.