Mamata government keen to get private investment in agriculture infrastructure

KOLKATA: In a bid to make the state self sufficient in all aspects of agriculture, West Bengal government is keen to get private investment for development of agri infrastructure.

The state agriculture minister Purnendu Basu said on Friday that the state has to be self sufficient so that it doesn’t need to depend on any other states for a better quality yield. “But it is not possible by the state government on its own. Thus, we are inviting businessmen to invest to develop cold storages, cold chains, seed industry and factories to manufacture machinery essential for farming,” he said, adding that there are no units in the state to manufacture machinery which are being used by farmers in the state.
West Bengal is the leading state in the country in vegetable production. "Storage capacity for vegetable needs to go up and it can be developed easily with private investment to set up cold chains," the minister said.

At present there are 145 automated weather stations (AWS) in the state. Basu said that there is to set up more such weather stations in the state and it can be undertaken in Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.

“Farmers who produce jute are mainly dependable on Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra for seeds. Why cannot we develop seeds for jute in West Bengal itself?” he raised the question.

The minister also stressed on the need for more Farmers Producers Organisation (FPOs) as it will help in better marketing of crops. At present FPOs directly sell their yields in the shops owned by the state government – Sufal Bangla.