Haryana CM inaugurates Phase I of fruit & vegetable market in Pinjore

Panchkula, July 17

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today inaugurated the first phase of an apple, fruit and vegetable market at Pinjore.

The CM said it would be Asia’s biggest mandi and would help boost trade in the region. He also announced reduction of market fee from 1% to 0.5% of the sales value at the Pinjore market to boost business.

Saini said an estimated Rs 220 crore would be spent on developing the market, which would be spread over 78 acres. He pointed out that the first phase of the market was constructed on 10 acres at a cost of Rs 14.66 crore.

He said, “The work on the second phase of the market is under progress and will be completed by December 31 this year. The establishment of the market will benefit fruit and vegetable farmers and traders of Haryana, as well as the apple growers and traders of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.”

He said an average 210 lakh quintals of fruits and vegetables were brought to various markets in Haryana annually. “Currently, the state’s largest apple market is in Sector 20, Panchkula. Apple trading started at the Sector 20 market in 2016, with about 35 lakh boxes of apples traded annually. Now, we are establishing a new market at Pinjore due to insufficient space at the Panchkula market.”

He said earlier, traders bought fruits from Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir and sold them in Delhi. Now, they would be able to trade from the Pinjore market. He added, “This will benefit farmers of the region as well. The market will meet the needs of Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali and the entire northern region.”

Meanwhile, he said the state had increased the age limit for the Haryana Mukhyamantri Kisan Evam Khetihar Mazdoor Jiwan Suraksha Yojana to 75 years. “Under the Atal Kisan Mazdoor Canteen Scheme, the state government has decided to open 100 units to provide subsidised meals to farmers and labourers at Rs 10 per plate throughout the year. So far, 48 canteens have been made operational,” he said.

The CM said the state government had formed the Haryana Trader Welfare Board to address traders’ issues and started e-kharid project to bring transparency at all levels of grain purchase, facilitate trade and ensure timely payment to farmers.

Saini, while trying to woo farmers, said the state government had prioritised the interests of farmers. “From seed to market, the government has provided all possible assistance to farmers. As a result, the state’s grain production increased to 184.32 lakh metric tonnes in the fiscal 2022-23,” he said.

Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Kanwar Pal said apples would be brought to the Pinjore market from 14 places in Himachal Pradesh, four places in Jammu and Kashmir and 24 places abroad.

Former Kalka MLA Latika Sharma asked the Chief Minister to organise an apple fair in Pinjore, on the pattern of the annual mango fair.

Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said the government would make provisions for air-conditioned auction halls, fruit ripening centres, packaging units, hotel sites and other essential facilities, including petrol pumps at the market.