apple growers

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To resolve the pending issues of apple growers and know about the problems being faced by them, a meeting was held between the apple growers and senior officials of the horticulture department in Shimla on Tuesday.

The increasing chain of commission agents between apple growers and consumers is costing both growers and consumers dear, as middlemen are reportedly making huge profits, by adding to its end cost, before it reaches the market.

A combination of factors -- bumper crop, increasing labour wages, poor marketing, dilapidated roads, unavailability of cold storage and undersized fruit -- are making the apple growers in Himachal Pradesh see red.

The huge commission charged by traders at Azadpur market in New Delhi is beginning to take its toll. A majority of the apple growers here have decided to sell their orchard produce in markets located inside the state.

To save the apple economy, fruit growers from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand under the banner of apple growers' Association will stage a two-day sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on March 6 next year to pressurize the Center regarding their demands.

The special investigation team (SIT), formed to trace commission agents who had allegedly duped apple growers of the state, has so far succeeded in recovering Rs 10 crore from the agents and returning the same to farmers.

apple growers in Himachal Pradesh are hopeful that the new government will help them get their demands met. They have submitted a 12-point demand letter to the government, including requests for an increase in the import duty on apples, the implementation of minimum support prices for different grades of apples, and the enforcement of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act.

A retired engineer's two-decade quest has revived over 1,200 lost apple varieties, rescuing a fading agricultural heritage. Tom Brown's dedication to finding and preserving these forgotten fruits, once abundant in Appalachia, offers a taste of diverse flavors and textures. His efforts champion heirloom farming and biodiversity, proving one person can significantly impact our food culture.

The scheme has been approved by the department of agriculture and cooperation, ministry of agriculture, under the aegis of ministry of home affairs for the current apple harvesting season, an official spokesman said.

SHIMLA: Industries minister Ram Lal Thakur on Monday dared the BJP leaders to launch an agitation on the issue of problems being faced by the apple growers of the state, adding that the government was seized of the bumper apple crop and was making elaborate arrangements for marketing, transportation and supply of cartons.

To resolve the pending issues of apple growers, a meeting was held between the orchardists and senior officials of the horticulture department here on Tuesday.

apple growers are sore as the 18-28 per cent GST on packing material, agriculture tools, pesticides, fungicides, drip irrigation and poly houses has not been reduced and there is no mention of hiking import duty on apples, President, Fruit Vegetable Flower Growers Association, Harish Chauhan told PTI on Wednesday.

In the election year, apple has become a bone of contention among ruling BJP and opposition Congress with both parties reaching to state governor with memorandums highlighting the problems of apple growers.

Landslides, damaged and narrow roads are giving sleepless nights to the apple growers in Kullu district, where transporting fruits to the market has become a headache. It is peak apple harvesting season and frequent blocking of roads is annoying growers.