Ravichandran Purushothaman, President, Danfoss India
Agriculture is one of the long-standing pillars of the Indian economy and continues to contribute significantly to India’s GDP. Its importance cannot be underestimated in this era of global food shortages and predicted population growth.
42 per cent of the people of Tamil Nadu are either employed as farmers or work for the farming sector. Over the years, the state has introduced newer techniques and innovations.
In FY 2021, about 639,000 hectares of Tamil Nadu’s crop land area were used for plantation, with fruit production taking up the second-biggest share. Farmers have developed methods for conserving rainwater in reservoirs of all sizes. With support from the government, infrastructure such as tube wells and canals have brought together a system approach to the holistic development of agriculture. Farmer Producer Organisations employing scientific practices have led to an increase in yields, quality, shelf life and value addition through food processing.
The Madurai-Coimbatore belt has tremendous potential to become a major food-processing hub in the country. The UN’s environment programme estimates close to 14 per cent of all globally produced food is lost in the supply chain. This buttresses the need for processing plants to be located within the food-producing region. Co-location would also mean a rise in jobs and economic growth. An additional boost to the economy could also be promoting iconic products of the region, like the Madurai Malligai (Jasmine) akin to Washington Apples or New Zealand Kiwis.
FARMERS BENEFIT FROM INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION
The responsibility of industry relating to agro-business lies in helping farmers, to increase production and explore newer markets. These will be achieved by investing in cold chain technologies.
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Cold chain technology would help raise quality, achieve scale and increase the living standards of farmers. Danfoss India provides the needed cold chain innovation to raise quality, achieve scale and improve the living standards of farmers. By introducing solutions in pre-cooling the produce harvested, Danfoss cold storage technology extends the shelf-life and ripeness of the fruit.
Cold chain technology is a game-changer for the agriculture sector in Tamil Nadu, especially in high-yielding areas such as Madurai and Coimbatore. In addition to the local produce, the region can also look at allied agricultural development such as animal husbandry and region-specific crops cultivation to augment growth. The reduction of watages and improve prospects for export of agriproducts are other benefits of the cold chain technology.
