New Delhi: Plans to build a new Centre of Excellence that will help Indian farmers get more of their produce to market took a step forward with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Perishability, short marketable life, and the need to acquire advanced skills and best-in-class equipment – including cold-chain facilities – mean farmers face difficulty in both ensuring the safety and quality of marketable produce, as well as reducing quantity losses in the supply chain.
Backed by State of Haryana Government funding, the Haryana-UK Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Crop Post-Harvest Management & Cold-Chain (CoE-SPMCC) will create a comprehensive national framework focused on sustainable Post-Harvest Management (PHM) practices.
Haryana Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Nayab Singh Saini presided the brief MoU signing ceremony and Hon’ble Agriculture Minister Shri Shyam Singh Rana was present during the event. University of Birmingham Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Robin Mason joined Dr. Raja Sekhar Vundru, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Haryana, Department of Agriculture, in Chandigarh, to sign an MoU ahead of the build phase of CoE-SPMCC.
Funded by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), University of Birmingham experts are leading a consortium of UK and international universities providing technical assistance to help develop the Centre. The consortium includes Heriot-Watt University, Cranfield University and London South Bank University.
Professor Robin Mason commented: “The University of Birmingham is proud to lead this international partnership helping to establish a facility that not only benefits Indian farmers, but also creates opportunities across the education, research and business communities.
“Our consortium unites a wealth of expertise from various partners, each contributing a unique set of skills and knowledge and forming a robust, interdisciplinary team poised to address the challenges ahead. We commend the Haryana State Government, Defra and UNEP for having the vision to invest in this ground-breaking research and development facility.”
Food loss is significant to the State and directly impacts farmers, as horticultural produce serves as their primary source of income – every year some 156 million USD (Rs. 13 billion) income is lost to both farmers and the state.