Government will be focusing on enhancing connectivity and storage capacity to stop wastage loss of perishable goods like fruits and vegetables.

In an exclusive interview to All India Radio, the Union Agriculture Secretary, Mr. P.K.Basu said that several new initiatives including drafting of a new legislation for inter-state marketing will be taken up in the current year for enhancing marketing options. He said that 2012-13 has been declared Year of Horticulture to maintain the focus.

He said that a horticulture train was started as a pilot project for picking up farm produce from the farmers’ doorstep to the marketing yard. Mr. Basu said a cold chain storage system is also being created to stop the wastage of perishable goods.