Orchardists rue delayed subsidies from horticulture department

Orchardists in this north Kashmir district are lamenting the delayed subsidies from the horticulture department for government schemes intended for irrigation and crop loss protection.

The orchardists said the department annually announces schemes, but beneficiaries are left high and dry due to meagre resources to compensate for their investment.

"The department was providing a 50 per cent subsidy for bore wells, and after registering, we were told to construct them, following which the money would be disbursed to our bank accounts," said Owais Shah from Qulimuqam village. He noted that the bore well construction and machinery cost them ₹200,000, and "it has been a year, and the subsidy hasn't been released."

Other orchardists who applied for the subsidy echoed these concerns, lamenting that the divisional department was not provided sufficient funds on time.

They said the construction financially burdened them, and timely government support in terms of subsidy was necessary. They have appealed to the concerned department to release the subsidy amount sooner.