Commission agents accused of fleecing apple growers

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 20

Farmers on Thursday accused the APMC and HP State Agricultural Marketing Board (HPSAMB) of giving a free run to commission agents. They said the latter were fleecing apple growers while selling their fruit in local markets.

But the APMC and the board blamed it on lack of auction recorders, which regulate the fruit auction in local mandis.

According to farmers, most commission agents are not going in for open auction of fruit in Parala, Dhalli, Narkanda, Rampur, Rohru, Solan and Parwanoo.

“Agents are charging the farmers at whims,” said Rakesh Singha, president, HP Seb Utpadak Sangh, who is also the Theog MLA.

“The farmers are not paid the highest price at which the fruit is sold in during an open auction,” he charged.

On an average, 20 to 30 per cent farmers do not get the payment even after a year. The Act says they should get the payment the same day. Even Adani Agrifresh, which runs three cold stores in the apple belt, pay farmers after a month, while on paper, the time is after 10 days.

Singha said arhtiyas were violating the Himachal Pradesh Agricultural and Horticultural Produce Marketing (Development & Regulation) Act, 2005. “The charge Rs 4 to Rs 20 per carton from the farmers, who are getting only Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,400 per carton for high-quality fruit. The crop will not touch 1 crore cartons this year,” Singha charged.

“The farmers do not know which commission agent is selling the fruit at what price as the auction yard is crowded with sold cartons,” said Prem Chauhan, a farmer.

“Arhtiyas strike deals with buyers without selling the fruit in an open auction,” said Sanjay Chauhan, a farmer from Kotkhai. “We brought the matter to the notice of the APMC and the HPSAMB, but to no avail,” he added.