Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 20: Senior vice president of People’s Conference and former Minister Abdul Gani Vakil reiterated his demand of waiving of KCC loan and special package to fruit growers as untimely snowfall last year, COVID-19 lockdown and even hailstorm across the Valley has caused massive damage to apple industry.
In a statement, Vakil said that most of the people in the Apple farming had kept the fruit in cold storages in different cities of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta and Patna but it was totally destroyed and rotten because of COVID -19 lockdown and closure of National Highway for long time, resulting into losses in crores.
He said that the closure of National Highway for long time has caused damage to fruit growers worth crores as the Government has failed to take immediate steps for opening the road on war footing in time.
Vakil alleged that the UT Government although assured fruit growers special package, adequate compensation of losses of fruit orchards but it is surprising and unfortunate that the Government failed to fulfill its promises and thereby added to the miseries of fruit growers and traders.
Apple growing is the main source of income in the Valley especially both in North and South Kashmir and natural calamities including COVID-19 lockdown had inflicted maximum damage to fruit growers, the former Minister added.
Vakil urged the LG Manoj Sinha to take the issue with the Central Government and strongly recommend sanctioning of special economic package including waiving of KCC loan. He further appealed the LG to issue directions to the administration to identify those elements which are responsible for providing substandard pesticides to fruit growers and apple traders.
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