Guwahati, Nov 8 (IANS): Assam Government has built a 5,000 metric-tonne-capacity cold-storage facility at Chaygaon and a fruit-processing centre at the food-processing park at Satabari under Kamrup district which was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday.

Stating that the State's economy is still highly dependent on agriculture, Sarma said that the state government has taken many initiatives towards modernisation in the agricultural sector, expanding the market for agricultural produce and attracting the youths towards the sector.

He further said that the state government shall, from this time, ensure that Minimum Support Price for rice would be raised to at least Rs 2006.

The 5,000-metric-tonne cold-storage facility has been constructed by the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board at a cost of Rs 24.75 crore. The 'chiller' and 'freezer' rooms of this facility, that is likely to benefit farmers of Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup, Goalpara, Nalbari and Barpeta districts, have a storage capacity of 550 metric-tonne and 575 metric-tonne respectively, an official said.

While the 'chiller' rooms would be meant for the storage of agricultural items such as potatoes, fruits and other vegetables, the 'freezer' room would be of use in the storage of milk and milk products. The fruit-processing unit, on the other hand, has been built at a cost of Rs 2.89 crore.

A senior government officer informed that this fruit-processing unit is the first of its kind in the state.

Sarma said that Assam products such as ginger, pepper, lemon, and joha rice have great demand in the national and international markets.

"The farmers of these items shall be able to reap remunerative values for their produces only if their produces are further processed and packaged, which will add to their value-addition," he added.

The inauguration programme was attended by state Cabinet Ministers Chandramohan Patowary, Atul Bora, MP Queen Ojha and others.