Dry fruit mandi to come up in Srinagar

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 19

The J&K Government is setting up its first dry fruit mandi in Srinagar to provide adequate marketing facilities to growers and create employment opportunity for youth.

The government has identified 50 kanals of land near Tatoo Ground in Batamaloo for the mandi.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan has directed the horticulture department to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the mandi.

Khan asked the department to include dry fruit growers and traders across the Valley, total shops and their cost, auctioneering platform, basic amenities, transport terminal, parking yard, weigh-bridge, accommodation, high mast lights, entry gate and other facilities in the DPR.

Khan asked the Srinagar Deputy Commissioner to hold a separate meeting with the horticulture department for the finalisation of the DPR within a fortnight.

Kashmir produces 1.95 lakh metric tonnes of walnut and 10,300 metric tonnes of almond annually. Khan said the government was committed to providing every support to the dry fruit industry which has a huge potential for employment generation, besides boosting the economy of the state.