By Sheikh Imran Bashir, Agence India Press
Srinagar: Apple orchard owners and apple growers in Pulwama district of Kashmir have demanded a bigger wholesale market so as to market their produce without any problem and also to earn better returns.
According to the traders, the existing wholesale market is too small to cater to the needs of all the production brought by the orchard owners.
The traders demanded that the government should give more land for the wholesale market from the nearby nursery, which belongs to the Horticulture Department of the state.
Wali Mohammad, an apple farmer told Agence India Press that, “we demand that the government should give the land for increasing the area of this wholesale market. All the farmers would be able to bring their yield here by which problem of loading the apple in trucks and sales problems as you can see here can be solved.”
“The bigger problem here is the area. The government has given us only five Kanals land although this area is very big. This area is known for fruit growing and we do not get sufficient space to keep our fruits,” said Gulam Muhammad Beig, another apple grower.
Traders of around 80 villages of Pulwama district bring apples to this wholesale market.
The apple dealers from other states also visit the wholesale market for purchasing the apples and other products from the orchards in the region.