COFIT, set up in 1997, has received a financial grant of Rs 7.5 lakh to create an information centre for the benefit of agri-business sector from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its Agricultural Commercialisation and Enterprise Project (ACE).

Accordingly, COFIT will provide online information mainly related to post-harvest technologies for different fruits and vegetables like mango, golden apple, pineapple, watermelon, okra, pumpkin, ginger, sweet potato etc.

Further, COFIT says, United States Standards for grades for apple, cauliflower, oranges, onions, tomato fruit preservatives, fruit crop cultivation and exports, variety of demand in international market, mango cultivation, and storage conditions forfruits will also available on line.

Information regarding machinery manufacturers, and suppliers, packing material manufacturers, and suppliers, food additive manufacturers and suppliers on a national level would be available through its website.

More importantly, COFIT will furnish information on laws, acts and rules, including Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, Essential Commodities Act, Export Quality Control & Inspection Act, Fruit Products Order, Indian Standards Institution Act, Meat Food Products Order, Solvent Extracted Oil/ De-oiled / Meal, Edible Flour Order, Food Adulteration Rules, Indian Standards Institution Rules and Standards of Weights & Measures Rules.

According to COFIT, the importance of the on-line information on the agriculture stems from the emerging competition from multinationals entering into the Indian market.

Even exporters of agro products face considerable competition in the international markets and therefore, the need for on-line information on possibly allagriculture trade related aspects.

COFIT has taken the lead in creating a centre whereby the related industries will get necessary information for promoting the agri- business through its online network.