Fruit industry in Kashmir at the verge of collapse: Abdul Gani Vakil

 Urges government to waive off KCC and other loans,   Announce special package for the growers

 Urges government to waive off KCC and other loans,   Announce special package for the growers

Srinagar, Feb 10 (KNS): Senior vice-president People’s Conference (PC) and former minister Abdul Gani Vakil on Wednesday said that fruit industry in Kashmir is at the verge of collapse as government has ignored it at the ground level.

As per the statement issued to KNS,Addressing a party convention in Nowpora Kalan Sopore, Vakil said fruit growers in Kashmir are facing acute hardships as the administration has sidelined their demands.

“Although after the abrogation of Article 370, the Government of India had made big promises that apple industry in Kashmir would be boosted through special packages but it had remained restricted to statements only. The senior leader said till time no such package was given to them. Even in the recent union budget, there was nothing for the distressed fruit growers of the valley.

“Most of the growers are struggling in paying their taxes, loans and other things.  We have seen fruit industry which was once the backbone of J&K’s economy is presently at the verge of extinction,” Vakil added. 

About frequent closures of Srinagar Jammu national highway, Vakil said it is unfortunate that each of our fruit growers have faced heavy losses as government has failed to upgrade its infrastructure from the past several years.

While expressing his anguish over the ‘illegal’ import of Iranian apples from Afghanistan to various fruit markets in the country, he said such attempts are aimed to discourage fruit growers in Kashmir. 
“It seems GOI is preferring foreign apples over Kashmiri apples. Even at the present valley is facing a shortage of cold stores where fruits growers could have stored their fruits,’ he said.

Vakil urged UT Government and Union Horticulture Ministry to intervene in the matter, so that valley-based growers would not be discouraged. Kashmir has potential for mass storage of apples but government is not taking it seriously. 

Vakil said “It is unfortunate that such a big industry has been neglected, as till date that there is no well-equipped juice factory in Kashmir and even there is no cold storage facility available in a Asia’s 2nd largest fruit mandi of Sopore. He stressed that there should be enough cold storage facility for the apple growers and establishing well equipped juice factories is the need of the hour so that the fruit growers and the industry will get highly boosted. 

Mr. Vakil urged government to announce a special package for the fruit growers in Kashmir and demanded to waive off KCC and other loans as it can be sigh of relief to the community who heavily suffered losses due to COVID 19 lockdown and frequent closure of national highway which the government has failed to upgrade its infrastructure for last several years. 

Besides others who addressed the convention include Political Secretary PC Mohammad Sulaiman Bhat, Constituency Head Tariq Ahmad Mir, Sr People’s Conference leader Advocate Mehraj Din Tawheedi, President women wing Advocate Rukaya Jan and several others.(KNS)

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