Anantnag, Aug 31: In a bid to create employment opportunities and to provide adequate marketing facilities, educated youth in Dachnipora belt of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district are busy in setting up their own mini fruit mandis.
Youths from Sirhama, Wopzan, Khiram, Srigufwara and other areas are busy in making arrangements so as to create employment opportunities for the youth of the area and for the welfare of growers who have been facing losses since the last two years due to different reasons.
Abbas Ahmad a resident of Sirhama who has set up his own mini fruit mandi a few days before told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that people of Kashmir are being looted by commission agents and other traders on different names and they don’t get what they deserve.
“So to save growers from getting looted and give them a handsome rate than what they are getting in markets outside J&K, we have taken this initiative which will benefit growers as there will be no commission. We will also generate employment opportunities for thelocal youth.”
Another youth from Wopzan who has also started his own mini fruit mandi said that people can save at least their fare charges and commissions besides fetching good amounts at their doorstep.
Meanwhile growers of the area termed this as a noble step while requesting other associated members to come forward and work together for the betterment of the mandi.
Bashir Ahmad a grower said that if payment of growers will be cleared within ten days of time and fruit growers will charge a commission of just 8%, then their priority must be to work with brotherhood and to make these mandis a grand success for the welfare of growers.
“We must also help such educated youth to make their mini-mandis a better platform for business and fruit growers,” he said, adding that it can generate employment opportunities to local youth.
Pertinently even after 7 years have elapsed since the construction work of fruit market in Jablipora are of Bijbehara area began, the mandi is still incomplete, bringing misery for the growers.
In order to improve the trading facilities for apple crop, which is the mainstay of the district’s economy, the government in 2013 decided to construct a state-of-the-art fruit market at Jablipora.
Subsequently, a sprawling 440 Kanals of land was notified for the purpose but the market is incomplete even after passing of more than seven years.
