Himachal Apple growers eye Kerala coop network for marketing fruit

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, August 6

The Apple Farmer’s Federation of India (AFFI), comprising growers from Himachal, Kashmir and Uttarakhand, is eyeing Kerala’s strong cooperative society network for marketing apple there.

A delegation of the AAFI met Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in New Delhi yesterday for leveraging Kerala’s extensive cooperative system to ensure remunerative prices to apple growers.

For better returns

We are looking to bypass the current marketing system dominated by arhtiyas and corporates. With the local farmer groups sending apple directly to cooperative societies, the middle men will be eliminated and the growers will automatically get better price for their produce. Sohan Thakur, AFFI Convener

“We are looking to bypass the current marketing system dominated by arhtiyas and corporates. With the local farmers sending apple directly to cooperative societies, the middlemen will be eliminated and the growers will automatically get better price for their produce,” said Sohan Thakur, AFFI convener.

According to P Krishnaprasad, finance secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, Kerala has been chosen for this initiative as it’s one of the largest apple-consuming markets in the country and it has a wide network of cooperatives.

“The price of Grade A apple was Rs 369 per kg at Safal outlets in Delhi on Saturday. The farmers will not have got more than Rs 60 per kg. So, both farmers and consumers are getting exploited in the current system,” he said.

“In the cooperative system, farmers will get better price for their produce and the consumers will get the product at a reasonable rate as the cooperatives do not work with the idea of maximising their profits,” he said.

As regards transporting apple to Kerala, the AFFI said it would be done via train from Chandigarh. “Apple can be transported through train from Chandigarh to Kochi in 48 hours. The fruit will have a good shelf life even after reaching Kerala,” said Thakur. “If this mode of marketing works well, we will replicate it in other parts of the country as well,” he added.

The AIFF said the apple growers were forced to explore the alternative marketing mode as cost of production had increased manifold while returns had gone down. “The alternative marketing system based on cooperatives will help growers avert distress sale,” it said.

Thakur said the Kerala Chief Minister assured them of all possible help and asked them to meet the Minister of Cooperative Department in Kerala and present a detailed project report to him.