Srinagar: Fruit growers and dealers operating from the Sopore Fruit Mandi – Asia’s second-largest fruit market pitched for the development of this place on modern lines.
Established in 1988 and spread over more than 370 Kanals of land, Sopore Fruit Mandi as per officials is on the path to development but the slow pace of execution of developmental works has irked stakeholders.
At the time of its establishment, the government had sanctioned a mega project worth Rs 31 crore for the development of the Mandi out of which around Rs 20 crore has been utilised by the competent authorities in the last 32 years.
“Around Rs 10 crore are still unutilised which hits the development of this Mandi,” President Fruit Association Apple town Sopore, Fayaz Ahmad Malik told Greater Kashmir.
“Presently various developmental works are under execution for the development of Fruit Mandi. As compared to previous years, the situation has improved in terms of development,” he said.
Over the last more than 30 years, the successive regimes failed to provide water facility for the Sopore fruit Mandi. Notably, the water supply scheme project is worth Rs 7.50 crore.
“Once the execution work gets completed water crises in Mandi will be over. The work has been going on the project for the last two years. It was halted last year for want of funds, but this year work resumed again,” Malik said.
He said Mandi doesn’t even have a cold storage unit which causes inconveniences to the growers. “There are two private cold storage units which are used by growers. But no such storage has been established at Mandi for the convenience of the fruit growers. The Mandi is yet to be developed on modern lines,” he said.
The non-availability of cold storage proves dearly for the fruit growers as they have to send the stock to outside J&K stores or have to hire private cold stores.
“The facility of cold storage at Fruit Mandi will bring relief to growers as they are forced to send the fruits to Mandis in Kolkata and other states on high charges due to non-availability of cold stores,” said a grower.
Notably, the allotment of site shops at Mandi for fruit growers has been started while the main road connecting Mandi with the town has been macadamized as well.
“The road was macadamized after so much of delay but is now in good condition,” Malik said.
However, an additional 100 kanals of land procured for a separate truck yard for Mandi is yet to be developed causing massive traffic jams outside Mandi because of a space crunch.
“The land was procured to minimize the traffic congestion. But authorities have failed to initiate work on the Truck Yard to date. The land is unutilized and the work on the approach road has not been completed yet,” a grower said.
The grower said they are forced to park the trucks inside the Mandi which already has insufficient crunch, leading to massive traffic gridlocks.
“If the separate truck yard is made functional, we would get additional space to run our business,” he said.
Fruit growers also rued the dearth of auction sheds saying that the available sheds do not suffice the need due to the increasing rush of traders from within and outside J&K.
“We have appealed to the government to establish more shops at Mandi because fruit growers and dealers visit here but the available space doesn’t suffice here. We should have more shops established,” President Fruit Association Apple town Sopore said.
“A committee of Deputy Director Horticulture, President of the association and a grower is in place to look into all the pending issues,” he said.
Notably, Valley produces around 24 lakh metric tons of fruits of different varieties out of which 50-55 percent of the production is supplied to other states from Sopore Fruit Mandi.
“Sopore Mandi receives 90 percent of the production from north Kashmir districts, 50 percent from south Kashmir districts and around 60 percent of the production from Central Kashmir districts,” the president said.
Malik meanwhile demanded the establishment of a Kissan Ghar saying that growers and traders from many states visit Mandi but have no place to stay here.
“We have a guest house here but that cannot accommodate the rush. Our demand is that we should have a Kissan Ghar like Jammu and Delhi,” he said.
Principal Secretary Agriculture Production, Navin Kumar Choudhary said the people should come forward to establish cold storage facilities saying that the government will provide 50 percent subsidy for the same.
“People should come forward for it. The government will not establish a cold storage facility but people associated with it have to do it,” he told Greater Kashmir.
He however didn’t comment on other “small” issues concerning the Fruit Mandi Sopore.