Apple farmers from hill states unite to protest Centre's farming policies

Apple farmers from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Tuesday participated in a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the central government's horticultural policies.

The farmers alleged that these policies enabled large agribusiness corporate houses to make huge profits while the growers face a decline in their income.

Apple Farmers Federation of India (AFFI) secretary Zaroor Ahmad said that farmers are not getting good prices for thier crops. he said that though apple growers are divided by state boundaries, they are united in their effort to save apple farming in the country.

The protesting farmers submitted a 9-point memorandum with demands including the withdrawal of eviction orders issued to farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. The Forest Department in Himachal Pradesh has also been sending out such eviction notices in recent years, the farmers' body leaders alleged.

AFFI delegation submitted a detailed memorandum to the Union Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar on July 28, 2022, outlining the aforementioned demands. despite the submission of the memorandum, the farmers say that the Minister failed to take action, and as a result, the apple economy suffered a setback due to market conditions and climatic aberrations during the marketing season of 2022.

CPIM leader Hannanmollah also participated in the protest. Addressing the farmers Hannanmollah alleged that the Modi government targets Muslim apple farmers of Kashmir." central government is killing farmers in india. Modi government is targetting the Muslim apple farmers in the Kashmir valley. They are killing Muslim farmers," he alleged. Viju Krishnan All India Kisan Sabha secretary also criticised the policies of the Modi government. Indian farmers are not getting the right price for their crop," he alleged.