A district administration in a major horticulture-producing belt is evaluating a draft policy to reduce severe post-harvest losses among small and marginal farmers. The initial proposal suggests providing a 50% capital subsidy to private logistics firms to construct a single centralized mega-cold storage facility at the district headquarters. However, a feasibility study reveals two major bottlenecks: small farmers in remote blocks cannot afford the high freight costs to transport produce to the central hub, and small-scale private operators still lack sufficient capital despite the subsidy. As the District Magistrate tasked with optimizing policy feasibility and social impact, which of the following policy modifications is the most administratively viable and effective option?
- Shift to a decentralized model by facilitating interest-subvention loans for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to install solar-powered micro-cold storage units at local block-level village markets.Answer
- BIssue an immediate administrative directive mandating all local transport unions to carry small farmers' perishable produce to the central hub free of charge under threat of permit cancellation.
- CIncrease the capital subsidy for private operators from 50% to 90% for the central facility while keeping the centralized location unchanged, assuming operators will pass transport savings to farmers.
- DScrap the cold-storage infrastructure policy entirely and reallocate the budget to import low-cost chemical preservatives to extend crop shelf life during transit.