When Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain travels to the remote Nogaon area of Uttarakhand this week, he will flag off a refrigerated apple van, a vital link of the cold chain that has been developed for the first time in the hill state.

Jain will also study an inclusive business model of small and marginal farmers in the apple value addition business chain. Initiated by Stichting Het Groene Woutd (SHGW), a Dutch family foundation and social investor, and NGO Sri Jagdamba Samiti (SJS), this model has helped create employment, income, technical skill and capacity among the apple growers of Uttarakhand.

New Delhi: In a bid to help small farmers get better price realisation, the National Advisory Council (NAC) has recommended the creation of ‘farmers companies’ with the support of the government, which would deal with critical issues such as market linkage and value-addition in the farm sector.

In a recent meeting, the NAC, headed by UPA-II chairperson Sonia Gandhi, urged the government to provide financial support for creation of farm producers’ companies under the existing Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) for the farm sector.