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| HPM fails to release payments of Apple Orchardists, blames NAFED for the delay | | | Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Anantnag, Feb 28: Despite passage of over two months, the Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department of Jammu and Kashmir has failed to release payments of orchardists who sold their apple crop to National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) through them.
A group of Apple Orchardists from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district told Early Times that the officials of Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department aren’t giving ear to their repeated requests.
“We visited the office of Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department and requested the officials of the department to release the payments, but they don’t listen to us,” alleged the orchardists.
They said officials of the department are resorting to delaying tactics despite knowing the fact that apple growers require money for the forthcoming season.
“We suffered a lot because we couldn’t clear liabilities on account of pests, fertilizers, packing material, labor charges. We need money for purchasing fertilizers and other material for the forthcoming season but the department is giving cold shoulder to our sufferings,” said Showket Ahmad, an orchardist.
He said the day Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) was launched the orchardists were promised that their payment will be released within 72 hours but now two months have already lapsed and the payments aren’t being released.
“We will come on roads if the department fails to release our payments,” orchardists said while seeking the intervention of LG GC Murmu. Deputy Director, Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department, Manzoor Ahmad on being contacted admitted that payments of ‘few’ orchardists is lying with procuring agency.
“National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) procured apple crop of orchardists. Out of 70 crores the agency has 65 crores, only five crores is lying with them. We have taken up this issue with NAFED. They are doing reconciliation and hopefully remaining payments will be released within two days,” said Manzoor. Important to mention to here that after the abrogation of Article 370, NAFED procured apples in Kashmir valley. The government decided to directly buy apples from apple growers in Jammu and Kashmir under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.
With revenue of around Rs 1,200 crore a year, apple cultivation is the backbone of the Kashmir economy. This year Kashmir is set to produce around 20 metric tons of apples. |
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