SRINAGAR: In an interesting development, the market-hit Kashmir apple growers are seeking a meeting of stakeholders so that the price for horticulture spray oil, horticulture motor oil (HMO) is fixed by the government or rational basis. They have sent a detailed letter to Narendar Singh Tomar, the agriculture minister in this regard.
The letter said the oil companies are selling the HSO to the apple growers in Himachal Pradesh almost Rs 20 to Rs 30 cheaper in comparison to Kashmir.
Kashmir requires tens of thousands of HMO litres every spring. The spray is fundamental to the management of various diseases triggered by mites, the European Red Mite and the San Jose Scale that can impact the crop.
In a statement, Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union Srinagar said these Spray Oils are part and parcel of the growth process, and growers have grown trust in these spray oil brands marketed by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (OICL) and Bharat Petroleum Limited (BPL) Spray Oil and several other HMO products due to their longevity and sustained importance in this industry.
However, the Union has regretted that the Jammu and Kashmir government has not been taking any interest in regulating the price, unlike neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, where these companies sell the same product cheaply in comparison to Kashmir.
It has also been said that the government must intervene in advance to manage the cost difference of other chemicals that go into the use of the Kashmir apple sector.
The Union has suggested a meeting of all stakeholders in which the rates for the chemicals including the spray oil in fixed in advance.
