Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 24: Sharing concern of fruit growers and dealers of the State for colossal losses caused to Horticulture sector due to recent devastating floods in the State and inclement weather conditions, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Ab. Rahim Rather today assured that the State Government will endeavour to get special relief package from the Centre for the badly flood hit fruit growers and dealers.
Speaking to a gathering of Fruit Growers and Dealers at Fruit and Vegetable Mandi ,Char-i-Sharief in district Budgam, Mr.Rather said that he has been personally visiting several orchards since last two weeks and was moved to see the huge losses caused to fruit production due to inclement weather conditions early this year which has now been further compounded due to flash floods and closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for about 2 weeks.
He assured the fruit growers that the State Government would make all out efforts to provide much needed relief to them.
The Commissioner Secretary Horticulture, Sanjeev Verma, District Development Commissioner, Budgam, Manzoor Ahmad Lone, Director Horticulture Planing and Marketting Showkat Ahmad, DIG, Traffic, Alok Kumar, Director Horticulture, Kashmir, SSP, Budgam, Mohd Irshad,Dy Director Horticulture(P&M), Qazi Aijaz Ahmad and other concern officers and field functionaries were present on the occasion.
Responding to the demands of the Fruit Growers, Mr.Rather assured that adequate measure will be taken to check sale and stocking of spurious pesticides, adding that stringent action will be taken against the unscrupulous traders indulging in marketing spurious sand sub-standard pesticides and fungicides. The Growers alleged that marketing of spurious pesticides has been one of the causes of detoration of Horticulture produce. Mr. Rather asked the DIG, traffic to regulate avability of trucks for carrying fruit consignment from Kashmir valley to other terminal Fruit Mandies of the country. He also called for stream lining the freight rate system so that Fruit Growers are not fleeced by way of charging exorbitant rates.
The President of the Fruit Growers Association, Charisharief, Bashir Ahmad Baba while highlighting the problems of the Fruit Growers said that the whole kandi areas of Tehsil Chartisharief and Chadoora have suffered colossal losses worth crores of Rupees as 100% produce of the Nashpati Pear got decayed in Fruit Boxes due to incessant rains coupled with the closure Srinagar National High Way for about 2 weeks.
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