1st Consignment: Vajakulam Pineapple received GI Tag from Kerala reached Delhi by Kisan Rail

All Kerala Pineapple Farmers Association, one of the largest farmer unions of the country, has sent a consignment of pineapples by rail to Delhi for the first time under the Kisan Rail Scheme. Farmers sent a consignment of 2.5 tonnes of 'Vazakulam' pineapple this week in the Delhi-bound Nizamuddin Express from Ernakulam South Railway Station.

Association president James George said, 'This time we are sending fresh fruit by rail for customers and if the experiment is successful then we have a plan to send large consignments regularly.' He also said that there has been tremendous support from the State Horticulture Mission, Kerala and the Railway Department for shipping the produce by Kisan Rail.

The first load was marked by Kochi at the headquarters of the All Kerala Pineapple Farmers Association in Vazhakkulam. The consignment has been sent from Kerala through Diem Agro LAP, a startup related to agriculture business. Now this initiative is creating an online marketplace, where fruit and vegetable growers, especially pineapple farmers, will be able to sell their produce directly to the buyers.

Kerala produces 5.5 lakh tonnes of pineapple every year

Presently, the farmers of Kerala are cultivating pineapple in about 18,000 hectares of land and it is producing 5.5 lakh tonnes annually. The Vajakulam Pineapple with the GI tag has been receiving attractive offers from North India. The State Horticulture Mission, Kerala and Railways have offered attractive incentives to supply and send large consignments to North India.

North India is one of the biggest markets for these fruits and usually they are shipped here by a truck, which takes 5 days. At the same time, it will reach in 50 hours by Kisan Rail and fresh fruits will also be available to the customers.

Kisan Rail Service was started in August 2020

Kisan Rail service was started on 7 August 2020. Under the scheme, rail transport is used to transport farmers' products to the national market and farmers get 50 percent subsidy in freight. With this, farmers get the advantage that their fruits and vegetables reach the market on time; otherwise they would be damaged along the way during the transportation by truck.