Bhubaneswar: The State government has identified about 10 acres of land on the outskirts of the city near Patrapada, some 17 kms from here to develop a vegetable wholesale trading centre. Official sources said, the centre would also accommodate an agricultural mall to facilitate space for the farmers of all 30 districts of the State to exhibit their agri products.
If everything goes well, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) would complete construction work of the proposed complex within six months.
“The State government has approved BDA’s proposal for both the trading centre and the mall,” a BDA official said.
The official added, since the existing Unit-I market is becoming over-crowded and congested during peak hours of the day, plans are afoot to move the market retail shops selling pulses, rice and wheat to Patrapada.
The complex will have facilities like cold storage, wide roads for parking of vehicles, banks and other auxiliary commercial establishments. The facility will encourage farmers’ organisations to showcase their products.
“This will boost the agrarian community to disseminate information on the variety of produces they have been doing since ages,” the official stated.
Currently, the proposed site is under Odisha Forest Development Corporation and very soon it will be handed over to BDA.
Vegetable traders of Unit-I market have welcomed the initiative.
“Of course it is a good step for the vegetable trading community. At the Unit-I market there is space crunch for storage of the vegetables. Very often we have keep these in open when large quantities of vegetables arrive from neighbouring states. Besides customers also face a lot of problem while shopping here,“ Benudhar Das, a vegetable trader said.
Odisha Byabasayi Mahasangha general secretary Sudhakar Panda stated that the State government must start working on the project as soon as possible.
“Since past six years we have been demanding this and now the Government has woke up. But the project work must start as soon as possible,” Panda said.