Operation Greens to be extended to all fruits, vegetables: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced that Operation Green will be expanded with an additional fund of Rs 500 crore and extended from tomatoes, onions and potatoes to all fruits and vegetables.
The scheme will feature a 50% subsidy on transportation from surplus to deficient markets and 50% subsidy on storage, including cold storage.
It will be piloted for six months and expanded and extended thereafter. It looks at bringing better price realisation to farmers, reduce wastage and affordability of products for consumers.
Supply chains have been disrupted during the lockdown for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and farmers have not been able to sell their produce in the markets. Farmers have even had to go for distress sale and reduce the price of perishable fruits and vegetables at the farm level.
Nirmala Sitharaman was announcing the details of the Rs 20 lakh crore package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, vowing to make the country ‘atmanirbhar’ or self-reliant.
She said that agriculture and allied activities will be the focus of the third tranche of the economic package to combat the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Sitharaman will be holding daily press conferences till Sunday.