Procurement price for apple under MIS up to Rs 5.25 per kg

Shimla, Jul 9 (UNI) Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today announced enhancement of 50 paise per kg in procurement price for apple under market intervention scheme (MIS) and said apple would be purchased at Rs 5.25 per kg by the government procurement agencies during the current season.

Addressing a public meeting at Jubbal, he said efforts were on to bring apple under crop insurance cover for which Centre had agreed in principal.

Mr Dhumal said the government had already hiked the procurement price of various grafted/seedling varieties of Mango by 50 paise per kg for the current season under the MIS.

The procurement price for seedling verities would be increased from existing Rs 4.08 per kg to Rs 4.58 per kg and from Rs 4.75 per kg to Rs 5.25 per kg for the grafted varieties, he said.

He said the procurement would be made through state agencies like HPMC, HIMFED and HPAIC which would be entitled to charge Re 1.00 per kg as handling charges.

The Chief Minister who laid the foundation stone for Jubbal Bus Stand, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1-crore, and lift irrigation scheme for Shurachli group of villages, estimated to cost Rs. 621.82 lakh, said that lift irrigation schemes costing Rs 50 crore had been sanctioned to irrigate the apple orchards and assured that it would be implemented in a time bound manner.

UNI AS PS RL AS2006