SRINAGAR: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on his visit to Kashmir, the fruit growers of the valley have urged him to consider implementing market intervention and crop insurance schemes.
In an open letter addressed to PM Modi, chairman of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, Chairman Bashir Ahmad Basheer highlighted several issues seeking his support and intervention.
“The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union, representing all Fruit Growers Associations of the Valley, extends a warm welcome to your visit to the Kashmir Valley on 07-03-2024, with the hope that you will undertake necessary measures for the advancement of the Horticulture Industry in JK (UT),” states the letter.
The fruit growers’ union also appealed for subsidies on insecticides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers, along with the availability of high-density plant material.
In the letter, the union further stated that the crucial matters requiring attention for the Horticulture Sector of Jammu and Kashmir (UT) include the introduction of a Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for “Grade C” Apple and Fallen/Ghiran, and the execution of the Crop Insurance Scheme.
Bashir Ahmad Basheer said there is a large proportion of C-grade apples, which makes it difficult for growers to sell them. “So, there is a need for the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).”
“The Market Intervention Scheme by the Union government played an important role in procuring inferior quality C-grade apples in the valley since 2017 when the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) first launched the scheme,” he said, adding that there is a dire need for the implementation of a crop insurance scheme due to annual crop damage caused by hailstorms and other adverse weather conditions.
The growers’ and dealers’ union also highlighted the burden of an 18 percent GST on insecticides, pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers, and cardboard materials, saying this raises the production cost of fresh fruits. They requested a reduction in the GST rate on these items to alleviate the financial strain on the horticulture industry.
They also called for the treatment of Tree Spray Oil as an agricultural product, consideration for the establishment of a separate Horticulture Estate similar to Industrial Estates in JK (UT), and the provision of funds in the Central/State Budget Estimates for the establishment of CA/cold stores, canning factories, juice plants, and other allied facilities for the benefit of valley-based fruit growers and dealers.
The union also sought subsidies on insecticides, pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, cardboard cartons, plastic trays, baskets, waste papers, and the availability of high-density plant material for the rejuvenation of fruit orchards.
