Premium Farm Fresh plans to expand biz, add more locations

PUNE: Thrilled by the initial success of the country’s first private sector wholesale market for horticulture produce in Nashik, Premium Farm Fresh — the promoters of the market — is looking to expand its operations and add more locations in other states. The wholesale market has registered a trade volume of 20,000 million tonne, valued at Rs 20 crore, within the first eight months of operations.

“We are thrilled by the response we have received for our private market in Nashik during the first seven to eight months of its operations,” said JS Yadav, chief operating officer (COO) of Premium Farm Fresh, the agribusiness division of the Delhi-based Lalit Suri group.

The market is currently focusing on commodities that are grown in around Nashik, like onion, grapes, pomegranates and tomatoes. The market has been set up under the private markets scheme of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM).

Premium holds 40 acre land near Nashik for the main market and is in the process of purchasing another 10 acres close by to set up 20 collection centres as required by the NHM. “The Nashik facility has been designed to handle 3 lakh tonne of produce annually, with a daily handling capacity of 1,000 tonne,” he added.

Premium Farm Fresh is also participating in the bidding for the Rs 200 crore terminal market project at Bhiwandi, near Mumbai. The Karnataka government has made land available to Premium at Belgaum, Hassan, Shimoga and Kolar to establish private wholesale markets under NHM.