Solar powered tricycle vegetable and mushroom vending machines were inaugurated on the second day (06.2.2020) of the National Horticulture Fair at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR). These machineries were inaugurated by Shri B. Venkatesh, IFS, Director of Horticulture, Department of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka in the presence of Dr M.R. Dinesh, Director, ICAR-IIHR, Shri B. Dundi, Additional Director of Horticulture, Department of Horticulture and Dr. P.S. Mahesh, Director, Central Poultry Development Organization and Training Institute, Bengaluru.
The two solar powered tri-cycle carts – one for ready-to-harvest fresh mushroom and another for vending fruits and vegetables, which reduce the post-harvest losses to a considerable extent and ensure farm produce freshness for two days will be made available for the public use. These vending carts have controlled humidity chambers that keeps the produce fresh. In the tri-cycle for mushrooms, the consumers can also pluck the fresh mushrooms as per their preference.
The second day of the Horticulture Fair had overwhelming response as more than 12000 farmers and stakeholders visited the fair. The visitors were very impressed with the live demonstrations of ICAR-IIHR developed varieties of fruits, vegetables, floriculture and medicinal crops; exhibits of horticultural production technologies of ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and private industry, and scientists-farmers interaction.
