Srinagar, Sep 10: Chairman J&K Peoples Democratic Front (JKPDF) and former minister Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen on Sunday urged the government to come to the rescue of the affected fruit growers and traders in the Union Territory. He demanded reintroducing the “much-needed” market intervention scheme and waiving off KCC loans to protect the livelihood of fruit growers.
In a statement issued here, Hakeem expressed serious concern over the deteriorating condition of the fruit industry. “J&K’s fruit industry which has been adversely hit by draught was also confronting multiple unfavourable challenges like escalating costs of labour, fertilisers, sprays, apple packaging boxes and high transportation charges. The fruit growers and traders were very much concerned due to unfavourable climatic conditions amid persistent hot and dry weather conditions in the last few months. The situation warrants that the government should step in immediately to provide relief to the fruit growers,” he said.
The PDF chairman said the fruit industry provides livelihood to about 25 lakh people, directly or indirectly, and assumes a pivotal significance in the economic index of Jammu and Kashmir.
“It substantially contributes approximately eight percent to J&K’s GDP. So, it was incumbent upon the government to come to the rescue of the apple industry through a comprehensive array of measures encompassing free distribution of agriculture inputs, waiver of agriculture loans, subsidy on fruit packaging material, freight subsidy on export of fruit and the much-needed reintroduction of MIS,” Yaseen added.
He demanded rollback of the Central government’s decision to reduce the import duty on Washington apples, saying the reduction of the extra 20 percent import duty on Washington apples was detrimental to J&K’s fruit industry.
