Hike in rate of imported apple rootstock slammed

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 9

Apple growers have slammed the state horticulture department for increasing the rate of imported apple rootstock this year to Rs 240 per plant, which was given to them at the rate of Rs 200 under a World Bank-funded Rs 1,143-crore project last year.

The department is yet to collect these plants at the designated centres in each district from various nurseries, where the plants were kept under quarantine for the last one year.

Farmers said the planting season was running out as the decision on rate and distribution of the plants were delayed by the department. The Chief Minister and his ministers were busy in the Delhi elections, due to which the rates were not declared in time and distribution got delayed, farmers resented.

They slammed the government for the increase in the rate by Rs 40 per plant this year. They alleged that even the quality of the plant was not good and the varieties that the farmers demanded were not available. They alleged that the department did not import the right plant material.

Project officials said the department had kept over 1.5 lakh apple plants in various nurseries under quarantine last year. There is no justification in raising the rates at a time when farmers are facing reverses in fruit production over the years, they added.

Farmers said Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, had already distributed plants at the rate Rs 100 per plant, which the university had raised in its own nurseries on January 2-3.

The farmers demand that the government should not charge more than Rs 150 per plant from the farmers.

Director, Horticulture, MM Sharma said the rate had been decided by the government and plants would be given to farmers who had constituted the clusters. The planting season would last till March, he added.