Krishi UDAN network expanded to 58 airports
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is willing to work out a transport subsidy with the help of agricultural department and State Governments for faster delivery of farm produce via airport-airline network, a senior official has told an industry workshop.
“We (MoCA) are willing to work on some pilot projects with the help of agricultural department and state governments regarding a transport subsidy scheme which will help in faster transportation,” MoCA Secretary Rajiv Bansal said on 1 July 2022 at the Krishi UDAN 2.0 workshop.
Airline and airport have interest to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products which will lead in creating a sufficient demand for local producers in domestic as well as international market, he said.
“Our country is a vast country which has diversified agriculture produce, and it is in the interest of the airline and the airport to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products which will lead in creating a sufficient demand for local producers in domestic as well as international markets,” he said.
The workshop was organized by MoCA in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Airports at Belagavi, Jharsuguda, Jabalpur, Darbhanga and Bhopal are being added to the existing 53 list of Krishi UDAN airports, according to Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA.
With this, 58 airports would be actively participating in Krishi UDAN, added Padhee, highlighting the achievements, scope, impact on Agriculture industry and future of Krishi UDAN.
Performance of the scheme with respect to various airports was also deliberated at the workshop.
In a presentation on domestic and international cargo in India, Ajay Kumar, CEO-AAICLAS highlighted the growth and impact of Airport Authority of India Cargo and Logistics and Allied Services (AAICLAS) on the agricultural industry while it is helping in Krishi UDAN.
Krishi UDAN Scheme 1.0 was launched in August 2020 on international and national routes to assist farmers in transporting agricultural products so that it improves their value realization.
Improving the scheme further, Krishi UDAN 2.0, announced on 27 September 2021, will focus on transporting perishable food products from the hilly areas, north-eastern states and tribal areas. fiinews.com
