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Srinagar, Jul 13: Jammu and Kashmir will soon implement modern cost effective packaging material to make agriculture products of the state more presentable.

About five lakh cardboard boxes are being procured through open tenders so that the fruit growers are able to export only graded fruits to terminal fruit markets of the country, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Abdul Aziz Zargar said.

Speaking at a high level meeting held here yesterday to review implementation of the ongoing Rs 100 crore Technology Mission for Integrated development horticulture and Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), the minister urged for strict quality control measures to ensure that C-grade fruit is not mixed with high quality fruit, which is the main cause of low returns in the market.

He said, the Agricultural Produce Marketing and Grading Act (APMG Act) needs to be enforced strictly.

The minister also directed to utilise fixed network of the agricultural production department for achieving desired objectives of the MIS.

The state has set a target for procuring 25,000 million tonnes of sandy peas and 200 million tonnes of apple from Jammu division and about 30,000 million tonnes of apple from Kashmir division this year under the scheme.

The minister asked the Financial Commissioner, Agricultural Production Department to formulate a proposal for creating a revolving fund for the effective implementation of the scheme as it would enable timely payment to the fruit growers for their C-grade fruits.

He said implementation of Kashmir Grade Fresh Apple brand should be ensured and the revolving fund created for this purpose utilised judiciously.

The minister also reviewed pace of implementation on Agri-Expo Zone for Apple and Agri Expo-zone for walnuts.

The minister called for initiating dry fruit promotion measures especially walnuts, adding that Kashmir has a monopoly in walnut production which could earn a lot of foreign exchange as well.

He said the government would explore possibilities to exempt Value Added Tax (VAT) on walnut and walnut giri.

UNI