TAD NewsDesk, Srinagar: The Union Cabinet has approved an amount of Rs 2500 crore for procuring apples in Jammu and Kashmir for the session 2020-21. The Cabinet was chaired by the Prime Minister.
The procurement of apple will be done by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd. (NAFED) which is the Central Procuring Agency. It will be undertaken through State Designated Agency that is Directorate of Planning and Marketing, Department of Horticulture & Jammu & Kashmir Horticulture Processing and Marketing Corporation (JKHPMC). The apples will be collected directly from the farmers and the payment will be made through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into their Bank accounts.
NAFED has been permitted to use the fund of Rs 2500 crore under Government Guarantee for this operation. If any losses are incurred, it will be shared by both the central and the UT administration of J&K in a halfway manner.
The Designated price committee from the previous time has been given the role to fix the price of various varieties of grades of apples. The UT administration of J&K will be responsible for the provision of basic amenities in the designated mandis.
The smooth implementation in a coherent manner will be monitored by constituted Monitoring Committee under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary at the central level and under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary at the UT Level.
This announcement by the government is a step forward to provide aid to the apple farmers and will help them in improving their condition. This will also help generate more employment in the sector.
Source: India Today
