India is the biggest producer of fruits and vegetables in global trade. Varied climatic conditions helps to grow all kind of agro commodities. In globalsation of market we are facing more diffculties in accesing the same. Increased crop production and its marketing is a concern for farmer producers. The freqent gluts in local market lead to price drop, to avoid this if we produce exportworthy production and increased export thereof will lead to price stabilization in local market.
For accessing the developed markets like Europe, USA, Australia and Japan the import regulations by these countries are quite stringent and required to be fulfilled. A uniformely graded product in a attaractive packing is to be exported in foreign market. Also good quality of fruits, fruits without spots and brusing are equally important. Export of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers needs proper handling, grading and warehousing as post harvest technology to facilitate this grading, packing, precooling and cold storage as integrated facilities in production centers are to established. Also cold storage facility for storage of perishable commodities is important for reducing storage losses. Most of the vegetables, fruits and flowers are produced in nad villages or at taluka places, where storage facilities are not available at large in Maharashtra. Fruits and vegetables are need to be stored properly to increase its shelf life, as these products are undergoing respiring, transpiration and ripening process simultaneouly. Storing commodity at a proper temperature will reduce these process and thus increasing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
With this view, MSAMB has erected 44 such facilities in various regions of the state considering the climate and production of fruits and vegetables in that particular region, which includes export facilty 21, fruit and vegetable modern market facility center (20), Flower export facility (3). Through this infrastructure development of 1919 Mts Cold Storage , 225 Mts of Pre cooling and 200 Mts of Ripening chamber capacity has been developed in the state by MSAMB. About 60,000 Mts plus agro commodities have been handled through facilities for export and domestic market purpose. About 89.89 lakh stmes are exported to England and other countries from flower export facilty center,Talegaon Dabhade.
These facilities are comprising of precooling, coldstorage, riepning chamber, handling facility, grading and packing house etc. MSAMB has given these facility centers on lease to various stakeholders viz.companies/persons/exporters/coperative societies/farmer producer companies / farmer groups /APMC/private player etc. Also the facilities at mumbai are run by MSAMB’s management.
These facility centers have proved beneficial in brining foreign exchange reserves to the Nation as well as exports. The exporters / traders are procuring the agricultural produce directly from group of farmers for domestic as well export purpose thus farmers are getting renemurative rates for their produce. The export facility ceneters are beneficial in creating job opportunity for skilled and unskilled manpower , yearly around 2000 people are employed at varoius facility centers of MSAMB.