Theft of kinnow from orchards leaves growers fuming

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, June 23

Kinnow growers in Muktsar and Fazilka districts are facing a unique problem. The fruit is yet to mature, but thieves are already active and stealing the ripening and dropped fruit from orchards, which otherwise fetches about Rs 50 per kg.

A large number of theft incidents have been reported from these two districts in the recent past and a few persons too have been caught. Now, growers are making public announcements in villages that if someone is caught stealing or possessing kinnow, he or she will be dealt with strictly under the law. Besides, at some places, village panchayats have even imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 on those found possessing the dropped fruit.

Aminder Singh Brar, a kinnow grower from Abul Khurana village, said, “Some miscreants are active in the area who are stealing the ripening fruit. It is causing a huge loss to the growers. Recently, we had caught some women red-handed while stealing the fruit dropping from our orchards.”

Similarly, advocate Mohit Setia, an orchardist from Sappanwali village in Fazilka district, said, “A number of theft cases have been reported in our village alone. Thieves are active in the afternoon when farm labourers take rest. To prevent our losses, now our village residents have even made public announcement that if someone is caught with the fruit dropping, he or she will have to face legal action. In the recent incident, a kinnow waxing plant owner had to pay a fine of Rs 11,000 for storing the fruit dropping. Now, the fine is being increased to Rs 50,000.”

He said, “It happens every year, but this time the problem has increased. It may have happened due to a rise in the prices of dried dropping of kinnow. It is used for some medicines and beauty products. The administration and law enforcement agencies should address this problem well in time to avoid any kind of farmers’ agitation in this regard.”

Meanwhile, a fruit trader, said, “If 1 kg of fruit dropping is stolen or picked from the orchard, it means a loss of at least 10-kg fruit to the grower.”