NAFED stops procurement of apples
Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Dec 12: There seems to be no end to the miseries of apple traders in the Valley as the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India has stopped the procurement of apples at Shopian fruit market leaving the unsold crop vulnerable to the chilling waves of winter.
The traders voiced their distress over the suspension of the trading activities in the market as, they said, the delay could prove detrimental to the crop. “The chilling waves are bad for the crop and the effects of the harsh climate are already evident on the stored apples,” Basit, a grower told Excelsior.
The growers had put up the boxes in the market for sale under Government’s Market Intervention Scheme. However, they alleged that the delay in the procurement of the apple boxes led to their accumulation in the market and increased their vulnerability.
As per the department of Horticulture, there are around 25,000 apple boxes which have undergone the process of grading and are awaiting transportation for last 20 days. In addition, more than 80-90,000 boxes are yet to undergo grading.
One of the reasons behind the stalling of the process is the failure of authorities to regulate the transportation charges. “Due to the security reasons the outside drivers did not come here leaving the process dependent on the locals. This caused shortage of vehicles and shot up the fares,” an official, who is aware about the developments, told Excelsior.
He said that the transportation charges per box was around Rs 100-120 which is Rs 30 higher than the current market rate. The Government’s bid to regulate the fares faced resentment from the transporters. “This stalemate stalled the process. Negotiations have also started. They will find middle ground soon, hopefully,” he said.
The growers also alleged that the authorities had resorted to malicious grading process to discourage the growers from bringing their crop to the market. “The grading officers only want B grade apples. The grading officers are cruel in grading. Out of 750 boxes my 450 boxes were A- grade other were B and C. The grading officers reduced that to only 700 boxes,” Farooq Ahmad, a grower said.
Director Horticulture, Aijaz Bhat said that the process has been stalled and would resume after reviewing the rates. “The process has not been stopped but we are reviewing the rates. It will be decided in next 2-3 days,” he said.
He added that the initial time period for the scheme was until 15th December. “It will be reviewed. It will be finalized today only,” he said.
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