SOPORE, Jan 12 (KNS) ; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Altaf Malik on Monday called for immediate government action to support Jammu and Kashmir's apple industry, describing it as the "backbone" of the Union Territory's economy, upon which nearly 70 percent of the population depends directly or indirectly.
In a statement issued to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Malik, the party's Baramulla District Coordinator, asserted that while the horticulture sector has resiliently sustained the regional economy through periods of instability, it is now facing a "downward spiral" due to governmental "negligence and apathy."
He highlighted severe losses incurred by growers in the past year from frequent national highway closures and natural calamities.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelTo revitalize the sector, Malik urged the administration led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to implement a suite of measures, including the waiver of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans for orchardists and a complete ban on counterfeit pesticides, fertilizers, and artificial colouring agents, locally known as 'Rang Dawa'.
Malik further pressed the government to adopt the policy vision of the late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. His key demands include the reintroduction of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and the establishment of a comprehensive crop insurance scheme for horticulture—measures he stated are long-pending and critical for the sector's recovery and future growth. (KNS)