Lucknow, Apr 15 (IANS): The Yogi Adityanath government has ordered sanitisation of all the mandi sites, cold storages and warehouses in order to check the Covid spread in the rural areas across Uttar Pradesh.
According to the government spokesman, sanitisation of the villages along with cities, mandi sites and cold storages is among the top priorities of the state government.
The sanitisation drive in the revenue villages is already in the process, and now it is time to sanitise all the cold storages operating in the state.
The spokesman said that the platforms of the mandi will be sanitised twice a day to protect the farmers coming to sell wheat in the market, from getting infected.
Officials from the Department of Horticulture and Mandi Council have issued instructions in this regard to the district officials.
Director of Horticulture R.K. Tomar has instructed the departmental officers to sanitise all the 1925 cold storages in the state.
According to him, "More than 160 lakh tonnes of potatoes have been produced in the state this time. Out of which about 120 lakh tonnes of potatoes have reached cold storage. We are sanitising the cold storages for safety purposes."
"Sanitising the cold storages will not cause any problems in the storage and extraction of potatoes", the official informed.
The state government is safeguarding the potato and wheat producing farmers from the coronavirus infection in every possible way.
Wheat is being procured in 220 mandis of the Mandi Council in the state.
In order to protect the farmers who are transporting wheat to these mandis, from getting infected, arrangements have been made to sanitise the platform of the mandi twice a day.
Apart from this, a Covid desk has been set up in every mandi. There is a ban on anyone coming without a mask.
Farmers not wearing a mask are being provided one from this desk. Strict Covid protocols are being followed in the mandis by traders coming to sell vegetables and fruits.
Wheat procurement has started in the state from April 1. Only 14 days have passed but a record purchase of about 1.80 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has been made.
The state government had made a record payment of Rs 29,017.45 crore to more than 33 lakh wheat farmers.