Assurance to Himachal apple growers on GST issue

Shimla, July 8

The state government has assured apple growers of raising the issue of enhanced Goods and Services Tax on cartons at the next meeting of the GST Council. The GST on cartons was raised from 12 per cent to 18 per cent last year, leading to a considerable increase in the prices of cartons and trays used for fruit packaging.

“The Chief Secretary has assured us that the issue will be taken up at the next meeting of the GST Council. The GST rate needs to be revised considerably, as it is hurting apple growers a lot,” said Deepak Singha, a representative of apple growers who attended the meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary. The meeting was called to examine the overall preparedness of various departments such as Horticulture, PWD, HPMC, Marketing Board, etc., ahead of the apple season.

According to an official, the Chief Secretary also asked the officials concerned to study how the manufacturers fix the prices of the packaging materials. The issue of freight was also discussed at the meeting.