Bhubaneswar: Several cold storage operators from the state Friday threatened the state government to shut down operations from February 22 if the state does not heed to their demand of a revival package.
The operators under the banner of Cold Storage Association of Odisha organised a meeting with each other to discuss the issue and later conveyed their message to the media. “The Association had convened an extraordinary meeting today to discuss the alarming situation. It was unanimously decided that all Cold Storages throughout the state will shut down their operations from February 22 if any proper revival package is not given by the state government immediately,”
The association has been demanding for state assistance for long citing huge losses. The association claims that due to lack of state policies, states West Bengal, which has flourished in cold storages, seem to be a greener pasture.
The association members informed the media Friday that on account of non-availability of the local produce, all cold storages in Odisha are dependent on produces from neighbouring states. But high cost of transportation, higher storage cost and higher interest has led to the erosion of working capital and has rendered cold storage operators unable to handle the debt. Hence almost all of them are on the verge of becoming a sick industry, the association claimed.
The association said that in the light of alleged suffering, the association had made multiple representations to different departments of the state government seeking assistance for cold storage and the agricultural sector. Requests were made to the Chief Minister’s Office but nothing no concrete steps have been taken so far.
The operators also highlighted that the state government, to stabilize the prices of potatoes during peak season and increase local production, had launched the “State Potato Mission” in 2015 with a target to set up 112 new Cold Storages in next three years. But only 26 new Cold Storages have become functional during 2015-2018.