Kashmir fruit growers suffer huge losses

Blame government for shortage of packing boxes

Abid Gani Wani

Srinagar Nov 09: Fruit growers have blamed the government for heavy losses meted out by the fruit industry as they were not provided the cardboard boxes on time. The 500 Crore fruit industry suffered heavy losses (nearly 100 crore) due to the shortage of wooden and cardboard boxes during harvesting period.

Ghulam Ahmad Imtiyaz, President Fruit Growers Association Srinagar while speaking to etala’at said that due to the non-availability of packaging boxes nearly 30 pc of the fruits falls from apple orchards resulting in the heavy damage and losses.

Imtiyaz said that tonnes of ripe fruit were wasted as government has failed to address the problem of shortage of packing boxes as guaranteed by the department of horticulture, Horticulture Produce and Marketing Cooperative (HPMC).

Blaming export of willow wood from Kashmir for creating scarcity of wooden boxes, Imtiyaz said that fruit growers demand immediate ban on the export of willow wood so that the problem is taken care of in future.

“Government has failed to make available one million cardboard boxes to growers which they had earlier assured,” Ghulam Ahmad said.

He added ,” The rates of wooden packaging box that used to cost Rs.20 few years back has gone up to Rs. 50 .In case of cardboard boxes the growers buy it for 52-55 rupees although the HPMC had assured to offer it to growers at subsidized rates of Rs.37.20 per box”.

The growers allege that the shortage of boxes was intentionally done by the Horticulture department (HPMC) in connivance with the private players in the market to loot the apple growers at the time of harvest when no other option is left for them except to buy the Cardboard boxes at available higher rates in the market.

The fruit growers alleged that sawmill owners taking advantage of the situation sell wooden boxes at much higher rates.

Gulzar Ahmad, one of the orchard owner at Shopian said, “I purchased wooden boxes at Rs 55 from a sawmill owner although the same boxes were earlier available at just Rs 20-25 in market.”

Abdul Hamid Punjabi, General secretary Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) said that the export of willow wood which is used by plywood industry is the main reason for the scarcity of wooden boxes spoiling the fruits.

“Every year tonnes of fruit perish due to absence of cold storage and inadequate transport facilities in Kashmir. But this year shortage of packing boxes would inflict further losses to the fruit industry, “Punjabi said.

Punjabi said that only 40 per cent of apples have been dispatched to the market outside the State. The growers were not able to take advantage of the Diwali season when there is a surge in the demand of apples owing to shortage of packing boxes.

He said that due to traffic jams the apples rot in tonnes on roads during transportation adding to the already burgeoning losses. He blamed the apple growers from the Himachal Pradesh for sabotaging the fruit industry by bringing hurdles in carrying the fruits to the (MANDEES) and stores outside.