While the P K Dhumal-led BJP government in Himachal Pradesh is toeing the party policy and opposing foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, fruit and vegetable farmers across the state have welcomed the move.
The state produces over 1.3 million tonnes of vegetables annually, including off-season vegetables, which is in huge demand across northern India.
The hill state also produces a variety of fruits, especially apple. Stone fruit, including almond, peach, pear , plum and cherry are also grown. The state produces a total of up to a million tonnes in a good year.
But farmers are always worried about timely transportation of their produce and the lack of cold stores, particularly cold chains.
“FDI will roll out cold chains that will bring the market closer to home, reduce the number of middlemen and enhance returns to farmers,” Prakash Thakur, chairman, People for Environment Horticulture & Livelihood Himachal Pradesh, a prominent farmers’ body told Business Standard.
Thakur said that a significant amount of the fruits and vegetables rot due to the lack of a cold chain system in the state, which he says FDI could change.
“Highly perishable fruits like cherry, apricot, peach and plum have huge demand, but the market has not been fully tapped due to the lack of a cold chain and transport infrastructure. All this should see a boost with the opening up of the retail sector to large investments through FDI,” Thakur said.
Private companies have been buying apple directly from farmers for the past few years.The Gujarat-based Adani group has gone a step ahead and set up three centres for buying fruit in the apple belt.
The growing trend of private companies buying fruit directly from farmers not only fetches better returns but also saves the farmers the burden of transporting and marketing .
