The van is designed to keep vegetables and fruits not only dust-free and hygienic, but also fresh for two days with the evaporating cooling technology
The hi-tech vans designed by Bengaluru based Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) keep vegetables fresh for two days with the help of evaporating cooling technology.
At a time when people are living under lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 threat, a solar-powered vegetable and fruit vending van designed by IIHR has come in handy for them to buy fresh vegetables near their houses in a few districts where such vans are deployed by the Horticulture Department.
The van is designed to keep vegetables and fruits not only dust-free and hygienic, but also fresh for two days with the evaporating cooling technology, says G. Senthil Kumaran, Principal Scientist at the IIHR’s Post Harvest Technology and Agricultural Engineering Division.
The van has facility to keep trays for storing vegetables, leafy vegetables and fruits with a cooling chamber. In the backside, it has a LED TV for displaying the prices of produce. The TV can also be used for disseminating social messages and crucial information to farmers on horticulture, points out Dr. Kumaran. An audio system too has been fitted to provide for announcements. An electronic weighing machine with computerised billing facility too has been provided.