BJP plans protest in support of growers

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 14

Perturbed over non-fulfillment of promises made to apple and other fruit growers, BJP will stage a protest outside horticulture directorate on February 21 and later submit a memorandum to Governor Acharya Devvrat in this regard.

In a statement issued here today former Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta said the growers would stage a demonstration outside the horticulture directorate in Nav Bahar. “There is a big threat to apple and other fruit orchards owing to import of root stock from abroad, which is not virus free,” he remarked.

Bragta added that the only achievement of the Congress regime was axing of the apple orchards of small and marginal farmers, whose only source of income was apples.

He said the growers would submit a memorandum to the Governor on February 22, listing the demands of the growers. “The Congress regime has failed to fulfill the promises it made to the growers during the 2012 Assembly polls. This includes enhancing the import duty on apples to 150 per cent and subsidy to growers against damage from hails storm to 75 per cent,” he remarked.

He said the promise for setting up fruit research institutes and strengthening infrastructure for promoting horticulture too had also not been fulfilled. The growers were also facing acute shortage of insecticides and pesticides with the government taking no steps to mitigate the problems of growers.