Market Intervention Scheme approved for mango, citrus fruit procurement in Himachal

Shimla, July 20

The state government has given approval for the implementation of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for the procurement of processing grade mango and citrus fruits such as kinnow, orange and ‘galgal’ this year.

The Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) and the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers Federation (HIMFED) will procure 250 MT fruit of seedling, 500 MT of grafted and 500 MT of unripe ‘achari’ varieties of mango at the rate of Rs 10.50 per kg in crates with handling charges of Rs 1.30 per kg, a spokesperson for the Horticulture Department said here today.

As per the past practice, average sale returns has been assessed at Rs 2,500 per MT for fruit seedling, Rs 2,500 per MT for unripe ‘achari’ and Rs 3,500 per MT for grafted mango varieties, he added.

He said that the HPMC and HIMFED would coordinate with each other to set up 42 procurement centres on the basis of data of the past three to five years.

“The procurement agencies will set up these centres on need basis. Under the scheme, 2.5 per cent extra fruit will be procured from farmers/orchardists keeping in view evapo-transpiration and respiration losses,” he said. “The fruit will be procured from those farmers/orchardists who possess horticulture cards and have 10 bighas or less land under mango cultivation. As such, no fruit will be procured from contractors,” he added.

The government has also given approval for the implementation of the MIS for citrus fruits such as kinnow, malta, orange and ‘galgal’. Under the scheme, 500 MT of kinnow, malta and orange would be procured at the rate of Rs 9.50 per kg (B grade) and Rs 9 per kg (C grade) while 100 MT of galgal would be procured at the rate of Rs 8 per kg with handling charges of Rs 2.65 per kg for citrus fruits and Rs 1 per kg for ‘galgal’. As many as 52 fruit collection centres would be opened.