Fruit growers oppose privatisation of AIPIL factory

Shimla, May 17 (UNI) Fruit growers of three districts of Himachal Pradesh have opposed any move by the state government to privatise the Agro Industrial Packaging India Limited (AIPIL) factory, saying it will increase the price of the cartons besides rendering several employees of the factory jobless.

Since prices of cartons manufactured by the private companies could not be regulated, the AIPIL factory at Guma in Shimla district of the state should not be privatised, Ravinder Chauhan, president of the fruit growers associations said in a release here.

He said the growers, in a meeting held recently, also urged the government not to frame a policy for the cartons without consulting them and declare procurement prices for the standard grade fruit on the basis of price index and cost of production.

One member of the fruit and vegetable growers association should also be nominated to the different Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), besides making adequate arrangements for the transportation of these items from the rural areas to the markets within and outside the state, he added.

Mr Chauhan said the associations also decided to urge the state government to announce the procurement prices for the stone fruit and vegetables and include all fruit and vegetables under the crop insurance scheme.

The growers have also decided to hold a convention of fruit and vegetables growers from all over the state on June three here in which about 500 growers would participate, he added.

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