Carries 2.7 lakh tonnes of consignments till date
The introduction of Kisan Rails by the Indian Railways has given farmers wide access to Indian markets. Kisan Rail has so far carried 2.7 lakh tonnes of consignment. Till now, 60 routes have been operationalised. Railways have been relentlessly pursuing with various stakeholders – including the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, state governments (including departments of agriculture/ horticulture/ fisheries, etc), and local bodies and agencies, Mandis etc – to plan the rollout of Kisan Rail services.
Kisan Rail enables movement of perishables including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products from the production of surplus regions to consumption or deficient regions; speedy movement ensures minimum damage during transit; enables farmers to utilise the vast railway network to gain access to distant, bigger and more lucrative markets.
50 per cent subsidy is given in freight (being borne by Ministry of Food Processing Industries under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme) for transportation of fruits and vegetables. Based on the concept of the multi-commodity, multi consignor, multi consignee, multi stoppages, time-tabled trains – help small farmers with lesser produce also to transport their consignment without any middleman.
There is no minimum limit on the quantity that can be booked, enabling even small and marginal farmers to reach bigger and distant markets; End-consumers (at bigger cities and consumption centres) get fresher produce at cheaper prices, due to a reduction in transportation time as well as costs.
The first train under the Kisan Rail scheme – between Devlali (Maharashtra) and Danapur (Bihar) – was flagged off by the Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal and Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar on 07.08.2020. This train has subsequently been extended to run between Sangola (Maharashtra) and Muzaffarpur (Bihar). The 100th trip under the Kisan Rail scheme – between Sangola (Maharashtra) and Shalimar (West Bengal) – was flagged off by the Prime Minister on December 28, 2020.
Till June 18, 2021, a total of 850 trips of Kisan Rail trains were operated on 60 routes, transporting more than 2.7 lakh Tonnes of consignments. The monthly performance of these trains during 2021 has been as under:
January 2021 – 82 trips (32,332 Tonnes)
February 2021 – 128 trips (41,665 Tonnes)
March 2021 – 133 trips (40,695 Tonnes)
April 2021 – 127 trips (39,518 Tonnes)
May 2021 – 173 Trips (55,300 Tonnes)
June (upto 18th ) – 93 Trips (32,542 Tonnes)
Kisan Rail trains are run on time-tabled paths and are being monitored for punctuality as well as to ensure that perishable commodities reach their destinations within due time, and also that Indian Railways’ resources are utilised most optimally. Main crops/farm-produce transported via Kisan Rail train include oranges, onion, potato, banana, mango, tomato, pomegranate, custard apple, capsicum, chikoo, carrot, etc.
All the Kisan Rail train services are being charged at ‘P-scale’ of Parcel tariff. Under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) 50 per cent subsidy in freight is granted on transportation of fruits and vegetables through Kisan Rail trains services. Since the introduction of this subsidy scheme (with effect from October 14, 2020) till June 15, 2021, an amount of Rs 52.38 crore approx has been disbursed as subsidy through Kisan Rail.
