40,000 boxes of apple procured under NAFED: J&K govt

Under the recently launched market intervention scheme (MIS), over 40,000 boxes of apple were procured from registered farmers in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, an official said on Monday.

The apples were taken from orchardists at the new mega fruit mandi in Aglar, Shopian through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), deputy commissioner of Shopian Choudhary Mohammad Yasin said during a review of the MIS in the district.

Yasin directed the concerned officials to gear up their administrative machinery to ensure that apple growers reap the benefits of the MIS.

The necessary facilities and infrastructure have been created for the smooth functioning of the scheme at the mega fruit mandi in Shopian-- a Rs 31 crore project being funded under PMDP and NABARD, which is being operationalised for the first time.

Senior level functionaries from the horticulture department were managing and supervising the procurement operation, the official said.