MIS for apple growers gets good response from south Kashmir

Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 22

The Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to procure apples directly from growers has got a decent response from the south Kashmir districts. However, the scheme, which was introduced last year after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 tossed normal life out of gear, has not found much favour with the apple growers of north Kashmir.

Though the benefits of the scheme have been extended till March 31, 2020, the government has already procured around 16,000 metric tonnes of apples, mostly from south Kashmir. Officials say they expect a better response next season as apple growers had prior agreements and preferred to go with the previous buyers.

The MIS was launched in collaboration with the Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department, National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the Horticulture Department, Kashmir, on September 15 last year.

Director, Horticulture, Aijaz Bhat said the response was better than expected and they had written to the government to extend the scheme to the next season as well. “We started in September and we got a better response than expected. We got a very good response from south. Around five lakh boxes of apples were procured from Anantnag, 4.5 lakh from Shopian and around a lakh from Kulgam only,” Bhat told The Tribune.

On the tepid response from north Kashmir districts, he said: “Growers of Baramulla, etc, usually enter into agreements with buyers in advance (before harvest). We have recommended to the government to continue the scheme in the next season as well.”

President, Parimpora Fruit Mandi, Bashir A Bashir said the apple growers had prior commitments and sold their produce to buyers with whom they had entered into agreements before. He claimed that just around one per cent of the overall produce of apples in the Valley was picked up by the government as Kashmir produced around 22 lakh metric tonnes annually.

Former Director, Horticulture, Market and Planning, GM Dar said around 16,000 metric tonnes of apples had already been procured. “The response was good as rates were good. Money went directly to the bank account of sellers.