Incentives for growers selling produce in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 25

The Chandigarh Marketing Committee has offered several incentives to attract fruit and vegetable growers from Himachal and exempted trucks carrying agri produce from the state to the market from goods and road tax for three months and providing other basic facilities.

“These trucks carrying fruits and vegetables and bound to the Chandigarh subzi mandi will be exempted from goods and road tax for three months and the vehicles will not be challaned,” chairman of the Chandigarh Marketing Committee Ramvir Singh Bhatti told mediapersons here today.

The auction of apple would be done under covered shed in completely transparent manner and 2 per cent of the sale would be charged as market committee fee and facilities like drinking water, toilets, parking and boarding would also be available for growers, he added.

Himachal growers sold apple worth Rs 20 crore last year and market fee amounting to Rs 2 crore was collected, but this year the volume of trade was expected to be more both in terms of quantity and returns as growers are getting price up to Rs 3,000 per box for early variety apple, he said, adding that the growers could contact the market committee members in case of slight inconvenience and their problem would be resolved.

The chairman said the operations of the market committee would go online for total transparency and growers would be able to know the market rates instantly and decide their marketing strategy. The committee has acquired 76 bigha in Sector 39 for the construction of Kisan Bhawan equipped with modern facilities for the convenience of growers and committee members are visiting the apple growing areas to persuade the growers to choose Chandigarh as terminal market for selling their produce.

Meanwhile, following the past practice, the Himachal government has also exempted trucks coming to state from outside from goods and roads tax during the apple season.