Guwahati, Aug 28 (PTI) Five solar-powered cold storage units will be set up in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas in Assam with the objective of extending the shelf life of the perishable goods produced there.
An agreement to this effect was signed by the BTC administration with the North East Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), an enterprise of the central government, in Kokrajhar on Monday, according to a press release.
Under the pact, the five solar-powered cold storage units will be set up in all the five districts under the BTC.
The BTC, an autonomous elected authority, was created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the tribal Bodo community in Assam.
As part of the agreement, new technologies will be adopted to extend the shelf life of the perishable products generated in the region. The setting up of the cold storage units is expected to reduce dependence on electricity and enhance the durability of the products, the release said.
Chief Executive Member of the BTC Pramod Boro, while welcoming the agreement, mentioned that the NERAMAC’s involvement further strengthened the efforts of the BTC to align development activities of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
He also said that the initiative is going to benefit 5,000 farmers of the region and strengthen the BTC administration’s flagship programmes of ‘Lakhpati mahila mission’ and ‘Bodofa livelihood mission’.