Kashmir fruit growers allege exploitation, knock on Govt's door

Srinagar, June 5: Fruit growers and dealers in the Kashmir Valley have raised serious concerns over the alleged "exploitation and highhandedness" by owners of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) and cold storage facilities.

They have accused the owners of charging exorbitant rates for various services, including cardboard boxes, storage fees, tape charges, and bin/crate charges.

According to a statement of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers (KVFG) Union, "CA/cold store owners are compelling fruit growers to purchase inferior quality cardboard boxes at inflated prices, despite better quality material being available in the open market at 30% cheaper rates, even on credit."

“The CA/cold store owners do not allow us to procure cardboard boxes and other packing material from the open market. They force us to buy from them at exorbitant rates, which is unfair and exploitative,” said a spokesperson for the KVFG Union.

The union has also alleged that the JKPICCA owners are engaging in arbitrary practices when it comes to storage charges for apple crops.

“The apple produce of a single party is kept in different chambers of the CA/cold store, and we are compelled to store our consignments for a period of five months at a time,” the spokesperson added. “The owners do not allow us to take out our apple crop from the store in advance of four to five months.”

The KVFG Union claims to have held several meetings with the managing body of JKPICCA, headed by its president, seeking the execution of a fresh agreement to fix norms and uniform rates in the interest of the horticulture industry and fruit growers/dealers. However, despite commitments, JKPICCA has allegedly failed to respond or execute any such agreement.

Faced with potential losses during the ensuing/present fruit season, the KVFG Union has appealed to the government to intervene and address their grievances. They have demanded that the excessive rates of Rs. 30-40 per box collected by JKPICCA owners from valley-based fruit growers/dealers for the storage of apple crops during the 2023-24 fruit season be returned.

Additionally, the union has sought the constitution of a regulatory committee comprising representatives from KVFG Union, JKPICCA, and independent experts nominated by the government to determine fair and uniform cold storage rates, ensuring transparency and preventing exploitation.

The KVFG Union has also urged the government to ensure an open option for valley-based fruit growers/dealers to procure cardboard material and other packing charges from sources of their choice, without being forced to purchase from JKPICCA at inflated rates.