In Centre’s MIS, Valley’s apple growers find relief, new hopes

SRINAGAR: Wearing a white Khan dress, Ghulam Nabi, a resident of Sopore is optimistic about the announcement made by the government over initiating “Market Intervention Scheme”, which will provide a new market to the fruit growers of the valley and will benefit thousands of farmers.
There are many apple farmers like Nabi, whose annual income is dependent on growing fruits and selling it to the markets outside the state. As the Centre abrogated Article 370, which used to provide special status to the resident of Jammu and Kashmir, speculations were rife over the supply and purchase of fruits from the valley.
On Thursday, the government announcement a long awaited “Market Intervention Scheme”, under the initiative of administration, J&K Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department, Department of Horticulture Kashmir and National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India.
Under the scheme, the Centre will purchase apples worth Rs 8000 Crore from Kashmir, benefitting around 7 lakh families of these fruit growers.
Ghulam Nabi, 65, said, “Many apple farmers used to be exploited by the brokers and were provided a single rate for fruits we grow from many last years. But now as the centre government has promised of setting up a market and sell out our fruits across the state and that too by providing good price, what else do we want.”
“Earlier we used to sell fruits to the broker and they used to earn money through many layers, but that tradition seems to be changing now. Moreover, we used to receive payment months after selling out all out apples, sometimes it used to go delayed for too long. But we heard, now we will be provided money on time and that too in our accounts directly. So there is no point of making rounds on the gates of brokers”, said Shahbaaz Ahmed.
Mohammed Isfhaq, who owes an apple orchard spread over more than 50 acre, said, “Our apples will become a brand now. We had limited sources before but after listening to the Governor yesterday, we are sure that our apples will be transported to the world. We had different categories of apples, which had different rates as per the demand, but we will get what we have been demanding from very long time”.
He added, “It is a welcoming step as far as my children’s future is concerned. I was worried that who will buy our fruits as situation starts turning volatile, there were threats, our partners in other part of the state did not respond to us. We were worried, but the timely effort of state and centre government saved millions of rupees and scores of families”.