Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 16: CPI(M) leader and Kulgam MLA M. Y. Tarigami today urged the Centre to provide relief to fruit growers who have suffered losses due to the prolonged closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Addressing a press conference here, Tarigami said the highway blockade has worsened the crisis for apple growers and traders, who were already struggling due to inclement weather conditions.
“The prolonged closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway has hit hard farmers and fruit growers. The Centre should take urgent steps to facilitate the apple trucks to reach the market,” he said.
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Tarigami noted that despite “tall claims and repeated assurances” by the National Highway Authorities, the situation on the highway remains “uncertain.”
“All this is happening at a time when it is crucial for apple produce to reach the markets in the rest of the country.”
Tarigami further said that the devastating floods in September have caused heavy losses to human lives, properties, and standing crops in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Due to intermittent rains, leaves and crop have been falling prematurely from trees, bringing huge losses to growers. Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) should have guided and offered timely advice to farmers about preventive measures,” he said.
He said that the recommendations of the Dr. Swaminathan Commission on distressed agriculture remain mostly unimplemented.
J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have been hit hard, yet apple has not been brought under the recommendations for the Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said.
“Despite big claims by authorities regarding Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) launched in 2016, the main crop of the farmers i.e. apple production has not been covered under this scheme.”
These are crops, Tarigami said, with almost no significant losses, while apple, the most vulnerable crop, is excluded.
“Insurance companies, including Reliance, IFFCO, Bajaj Finance, and the Agriculture Insurance Company, have reportedly earned hundreds of crores of premium since 2016 but remain reluctant to insure apple crop.”
He said that there is an urgent need to reintroduce the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) so that rotten apples can be procured and used for juice and jam manufacturing.
He stressed that the Centre should announce sufficient relief to help the flood victims and apple growers and traders who have suffered huge losses because of inclement weather, floods, and the blockade of the National Highway.
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