Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Nov 03: Apple growers from different areas of Kashmir here have questioned the timeliness of launching of Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that there was no fun of introducing the scheme at a time when most of the produce has been already been sold in different markets or stored in cold chains.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Correspondent, the growers said that the crop was less by 50 percent this year and most of it was affected by scabs and hailstorms.
They said that the launching of MIS has failed to bring any respite among the growers as the decision was taken too late. “The government should have reintroduced the MIS in Jammu and Kashmir at the beginning of the harvesting season,” they said.
Muhammad Yousuf, a grower from Pulwama told KNO that around 80 per cent of the produce has been already sold, and introducing this scheme at this stage will not help the growers in any manner.
“Last year, our produce was purchased under this scheme and farmers got a good profit, but this year it is merely an eyewash,” he said, adding that the scheme could have provided benefits to the growers in case the scheme would have been reintroduced at the beginning of harvesting.
Shakeel Ahmad, another grower from Kulgam said earlier they were demanding re-launching of this scheme but nobody paid heed to the pleas at the appropriate time.
Pertinently, Kashmir has produced about 15 lakh metric tonnes of apples this year, which was around 35 per cent less as compared to last year’s produce.
Deputy Director Horticulture, Manzoor Ahmad Mir said that the scheme was reintroduced only on public demand. “The scheme is being executed by central government and we are just implementing agency,” he said—(KNO)
