SRINAGAR: MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday said horticulture could be a decisive economic driver for Jammu and Kashmir, warning that policy delays and administrative lapses were costing orchardists crores, as he addressed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference president criticised the government’s handling of the highway blockade, saying authorities reacted only after growers protested. He rejected official estimates that only a small fraction of fruit was ready for transport and said the sluggish response had caused permanent financial losses with no accountability.
Lone urged the administration to adopt a proactive trade strategy ahead of a proposed United States–India arrangement, arguing that readily available data on global apple pricing should be used to present the region’s case to the Government of India before any agreement is finalised.
Making a broader economic case, he said large-scale expansion of horticulture could significantly raise revenues and employment, describing the sector, alongside tourism, as central to the Union Territory’s long-term growth. He also alleged that post-harvest subsidies were being cornered by corporate players rather than fruit growers, calling for direct support to orchardists.
On rural development, Lone advocated keeping elected representatives out of village-level implementation of welfare schemes, contending that funds meant for the poor should be managed locally without political interference. He further called for specialist administrative oversight of rural employment programmes and a stronger focus on durable asset creation.
He concluded by urging structural reforms to ensure that economic policy directly benefits growers and rural communities.
