SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved the transfer of three kanals of land at Arampora in Sopore for establishment of a vegetable mandi aimed at improving the marketing, storage and post-harvest management of locally produced vegetables.
The decision was approved by the Council of Ministers through Decision No. 113/11/2026 dated September 10, 2026, in response to a question by Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar.
The land, measuring three kanals, is classified as Shamilat Deh (Mehfooz Kahcharai) and falls under Khasra No. 280-min at Arampora village in Sopore tehsil of Baramulla district. It is to be transferred to the Agriculture Production Department for establishment of a Sabzi Mandi.
The department said it would coordinate with the Baramulla district administration to develop the mandi with modern facilities, including transit storage and other required infrastructure, to facilitate efficient handling, marketing and post-harvest management of vegetables produced locally.
Arampora is a traditional vegetable-growing belt in the Sopore constituency, with approximately 60 hectares under vegetable cultivation.
Over the past three years, the Agriculture Production Department has provided vegetable growers in the area with agricultural machinery, irrigation facilities, protected cultivation structures and other support.
The assistance provided includes one tractor, three power weeders, two brush cutters, 41 irrigation pump sets, 22 dug wells for irrigation, three battery-operated sprayers, 21 greenhouses and 17 canvas pipes.
The department also said growers are provided quality seeds, agricultural inputs and technical guidance under applicable schemes. Beneficiary-wise details of the assistance have been enclosed with the government reply.
On the demand for a cold storage or Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage facility at Arampora, the government said no specific provision had been made for such a facility at present.
However, eligible private entrepreneurs can establish CA storage or cold storage facilities by availing financial assistance under applicable schemes, subject to prescribed norms and procedures.
The Horticulture Department provides subsidy and financial assistance for CA storage facilities under schemes including the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and Jammu and Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement of Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP).
The government said 68 CA storage facilities with a combined capacity of 2.97 lakh metric tonnes have so far been established across Jammu and Kashmir.
The proposed mandi at Arampora is therefore intended to strengthen the local vegetable marketing and post-harvest infrastructure, while private investment remains the route presently available for establishing CA or cold storage facilities at the location.
