Hoshiarpur- To promote groundnut cultivation in the Kandi area, Punjab's first groundnut processing unit will be set up at Citrus Estate, Bhunga, for which Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain handed over a cheque of Rs 7.50 lakh. Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain handed over a cheque of Rs 7.50 lakh to Chairman-cum-CEO of Citrus Estate.
Handing over the cheque to Jaspal Singh Dheri, Committee Member Paramjit Singh Kaluwahar, Advisor Arbind Singh Dhoot, she said that the establishment of groundnut processing unit would give a boost to the efforts being made by the state government for crop diversification. She said that the processing unit would meet the technical, marketing and necessary equipment requirements of groundnut growers and also ensure remunerative price of their produce.
Ashika Jain said that the district administration has already engaged Punjab State Council of Science and Technology to carry out detailed research on groundnut conservation, which would be beneficial for groundnut growers of the area. Assistant Directors of Horticulture Department Jaspal Singh Dheri and Paramjit Singh Kaluwahar told the Deputy Commissioner that the Citrus Estate would provide quality seeds and technical support to the groundnut farmers to cultivate the best quality groundnut in these sandy soil areas.
He said that with the establishment of the processing plant, the Citrus Estate would provide massive marketing opportunities to increase the income of the farmers. Dheri said that this processing unit would ensure direct marketing of groundnut, fruits, vegetables and would also set up retail shops for direct sale of the produce of the farmers besides roasting and coating facilities in the plant. Dr. Arbind Singh Dhoot said that the processing unit would also help in increasing the area under groundnut cultivation which was about 8000 acres in 2015-16 and at present groundnut is being cultivated in 3000 acres.
He said that the Kandi area has the best environment and soil for this crop and the water consumption in groundnut cultivation is also less. He said that farmers can take advantage of this crop twice a year as it takes 120-130 days in one season. Progressive farmers Captain Harteg Singh and Harvinder Singh were also present on this occasion.