Now, horticulture department to dabble in supermarkets

Panaji: Goa State Horticulture Corporation Limited (GSHCL) has decided to start mini supermarkets selling vegetables and dairy products, at Vasco, Margao, Mapusa, Curchorem and Ponda, said its chairman Kiran Kandolkar on Wednesday. A mini supermarket is already being set up at Altinho, Panaji, on a trial-basis.

Marking the state department's major achievements for the financial year 2015-2016, Kandolkar announced that the annual turnover is 108.83 crore.

He told mediapersons that the procurement of local vegetables for the year in terms of tonnes, was 526 tonnes as of March 2016. 1173 farmers supplied vegetables to the Horticultural Corporation during this time. The state has a total of 852 functional outlets selling vegetables.

The corporation, he said, also received 816 tonnes of fruit during the year. The state has 350 fruit outlets. Number of operational cold carts are 13.

GSHCL exported 7 tonnes of green chilli, 1.5 tonnes of cluster beans, 100 kg of brinjal, and 369 bottle gourd. This had a significant role to play in the year's turnover as well. Managing director Larry Barretto said they will start a food processing unit at Tivim. tnn