Centre extends market intervention scheme for apple growers in J&K till Mar 2020

The Centre on Sunday extended the market intervention scheme aimed at providing optimum price for apple growers in the Kashmir Valley till March next year, an official spokesman said here.

The scheme, launched in September this year by then Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, has been approved by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Union Ministry of Agriculture, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

"The market intervention scheme has been extended by the Union government till March 2020," the spokesman said.

The plan is being implemented by the Directorate of Planning and Marketing, supported by the Directorate of Horticulture (Kashmir) and Jammu and Kashmir Horticultural Produce, Marketing and Processing Corporation Ltd.

Under the scheme, apple produce is being procured and marketed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), and apple growers are getting more remuneration for various grades of the fruit.

At the time of its launch, Malik had said with a turnover of Rs 8,000 crore per year and close to seven lakh families directly and indirectly associated with it, the horticulture sector in the Kashmir valley needed focussed attention on providing every possible support to the growers, right from their orchards to the market.

"With the launch of the scheme, many issues relating to grading of apples, procurement, storage and marketing will be taken care of by the government," he had said.