Chandigarh, February 6
Inability of the state government to operate its two ultra-modern kinnow juice units at Hoshiarpur and Abohar has left the growers high and dry. Established in 2008, the main aim behind setting up the plants was to boost kinnow cultivation in Punjab by procuring a chunk of the crop for processing.
As a result, growers have been left at the mercy of middlemen who procure the crop at a low rate even as kinnow continues to sell at a much high price in the retail market.
Progressive farmer Deepak Puri of Hoshiarpur said compared to the rate of Rs 12-15 per kg last year, good quality kinnow was selling at Rs 8-9 a kg this year. He said farmers were also facing problems in sending the fruit to distant markets.
Puri said farmers did not opt for bringing the fruit to the market in December because of the presence of orange from Nagpur, the fruit quality got affected due to extreme cold in January. He said the ripe fruit that was being sent to distant markets was getting spoilt due to which farmers were choosing to sell it in local markets.
Available at Rs 3-4 a kg, the low-quality kinnow could have been absorbed by the two juicing units at around Rs 5 per kg, a farmer said. In earlier seasons, the juice plants had maintained that it was not profitable to process the fruit by acquiring it at Rs 8-9 a kg.
Both the juice units, established at a cost of Rs 84 crore, have been lying idle for three years. A limited processing of kinnows took place in 2008 by Tropicana.
Punjab Agro Managing Director Sanjay Kumar admitted that the plants were non-operational.
Horticulture Department Joint Director Dr Gurkamal Singh said while the intense cold spell in January had limited the kinnow sales, the quickly rising temperature was harming the crop of late. He said the department was advising the farmers to market their produce immediately.
Inability of the state government to operate its two ultra-modern kinnow juice units at Hoshiarpur and Abohar has left the growers high and dry. Established in 2008, the main aim behind setting up the plants was to boost kinnow cultivation in Punjab by procuring a chunk of the crop for processing.
As a result, growers have been left at the mercy of middlemen who procure the crop at a low rate even as kinnow continues to sell at a much high price in the retail market.
Progressive farmer Deepak Puri of Hoshiarpur said compared to the rate of Rs 12-15 per kg last year, good quality kinnow was selling at Rs 8-9 a kg this year. He said farmers were also facing problems in sending the fruit to distant markets.
Puri said farmers did not opt for bringing the fruit to the market in December because of the presence of orange from Nagpur, the fruit quality got affected due to extreme cold in January. He said the ripe fruit that was being sent to distant markets was getting spoilt due to which farmers were choosing to sell it in local markets.
Available at Rs 3-4 a kg, the low-quality kinnow could have been absorbed by the two juicing units at around Rs 5 per kg, a farmer said. In earlier seasons, the juice plants had maintained that it was not profitable to process the fruit by acquiring it at Rs 8-9 a kg.
Both the juice units, established at a cost of Rs 84 crore, have been lying idle for three years. A limited processing of kinnows took place in 2008 by Tropicana.
Punjab Agro Managing Director Sanjay Kumar admitted that the plants were non-operational.
Horticulture Department Joint Director Dr Gurkamal Singh said while the intense cold spell in January had limited the kinnow sales, the quickly rising temperature was harming the crop of late. He said the department was advising the farmers to market their produce immediately.
