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Adani in the Eye of the Storm as Himachal Apple Prices Crash
Apple growers feel that instead of incentivising big corporates, the state government should instead help farmers build cold storages.
thewire.in
The Rs 5,000 crore apple business in the hilly state, which mostly runs on the free market model, was dealt a major setback right at the beginning of the season when the Adani group, a big corporate buyer in Himachal Pradesh’s apple market, announced its opening price for A-grade, premium quality apples at just Rs 72 per kg, much lower than the Rs 88 per kg it offered last year.
Adani bought A-grade quality apples at Rs 65 per kg. A decade later, it is offering just Rs 7 more.
“Is this what we really deserve,” asked Panjta. “While our farm inputs expenses have gone up manifold, the company brought in by the government to help farmers in getting good market rates is resorting to exploitation of farmers by continuously reducing procurement rates.”
According to him, a decade earlier, the cost of production for the growers, inclusive of packaging costs, was Rs 250 per box. Now it has gone up to Rs 600 per box. “But see the returns, it is [the] same [as] a decade earlier,” he added.