Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 11: Congress Working Committee Member (CWC) Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Monday averred that lifting additional duty on import of various American (US) products during G-20 Summit shall lead to economic distress, huge losses to J&K and Himachal fruit Industry.
Mir urged the Union Govt to revisit the decision in the larger interests of the growers.
Commenting on lifting of additional duty on import of American products such as chickpeas, lentils and apples, Mir said this decision will severely impact the fruit industry in J&K and Himachal, while as J&K growers have already undergone tremendous losses, be it the unfavourable situation or be it the climatic urgencies happened from time to time.
Adding that post 2019, Kashmir fruit industry is confronted with losses, Mir said there was need for a special bailout package for the growers to overcome the economic crisis instead the decision regarding lifting import duties on American products shall create more problems for the growers and market as well.
Mir urged the Govt to revisit the decision in the larger interests of growers and laid emphasis over providing economic package to Kashmir fruit industry ensuring that they come out of the economic distress.
Meanwhile, former MLA Kulgam M Y Tarigami while addressing apple farmers at Yaripora in Kulgam said that claims of development in Jammu and Kashmir are mismatching on the ground.
Reffering to the problems and issues faced by the apple growers, he said apple provides livelihood to thousands of families but these farmers are facing severe distress due to lack of remunerative price and non-availability of storage facilities.
He demanded 100% import duty on foreign apples, provision of fertilizers and pesticides at subsidized rates to apple farmers, construction of cold stores at every apple producing districts. He expressed concern over lifting addl duty by India on American apple and said Kashmiri fruit growers will be affected with it.
Tarigami said that alarming rise in unemployment has created uncerinity among the educated youth. No recruitment is taking place thus youth are facing alienation. Businesses has been shattered in the last years. People are suffering because of the wrong policies of the Government.
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