Fruit traders of J&K revive industry status demand

The Rs 1,800-crore fruit trade in Jammu and Kashmir is still awaiting industrial status from the government despite several representations to central and J&K government functionaries.

While the industrial units in the state have got tax holiday for over ten years, besides other incentives that are more lucrative than in Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh now, fruit growers in the valley say the government is behaving in a step-motherly manner.

Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, president, Fruit Growers' and Dealers' Association, Kashmir, told Business Standard the fruit trade generated huge revenue. The association wants the trade to be given industrial status because it has faced militancy over the past 17 years.

Several representations have been made to the chief minister of J&K and the ministers of horticulture and industries, besides several Union ministers, but they were unavailing, according to Bhat.

Bhat said the industrial status would give Kashmir fruit growers all the facilities enjoyed by industrialists, including tax concessions on fertilizers and pesticides, subsidy on transport and packing material as well as on cold storage facilities, which, in turn, will boost the trade in Kashmir.

According to the data available with the J&K horticulture department, the annual fruit produce of the world is nearly 63 million tonnes. Of this, J&K contributes about 1.35 million tonnes, besides nearly 110,000 tonnes of dry fruit annually. The annual turnover of the fruit trade in J&K is nearly Rs 1,800 crore (which also includes dry fruit worth over Rs 300 crore). About 500,000 families are said to be directly or indirectly dependent on this trade.

Bhat said ministers had failed to keep their promises of providing packages and schemes to the fruit growers. Even the advanced packing material, which was to be given on subsidy by the government, was not provided for apples for export.