Srinagar, Sep 21 (NationPress) Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, leveled serious allegations against the National Conference (NC) on Sunday. She stated that 99 percent of the Valley's C-grade apple crop has been wasted due to the government's failure to implement the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).

In her comments, Mehbooba Mufti emphasized that the negligence towards the horticulture sector has resulted in extensive losses, attributing the lack of action to the NC government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. She recalled how her late father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was a forward-thinking leader who recognized the crucial role of the fruit industry in sustaining Jammu and Kashmir's economy.

“Horticulture provides livelihoods for over seven lakh families, generates annual revenues between Rs 5,000 and 6,000 crore, and contributes approximately 8 to 9 percent of our state's GDP. Mufti Sahib viewed this sector as a vital lifeline rather than a seasonal concern,” she remarked.

She mentioned that her father had waived off toll taxes on fruit transport, established mandis for improved market access, initiated the MIS for C-grade apples to prevent distress sales, and launched the High-Density Plantation Scheme to modernize the horticulture sector and boost productivity.

Criticizing the NC government for its negligence, she stated, “For decades, NC administrations have treated horticulture as an afterthought. This year’s failure to implement the MIS has led to the wastage of nearly all low-grade fruit, with an alarming 99 percent going to waste.”

“Growers are already facing challenges like repeated highway blockades, natural disasters, and rising costs, pushing them to the brink,” she added.

She pointed out that this inaction is not just a display of inefficiency but an indication of indifference towards a critical sector of Jammu and Kashmir's economy.

“Fruit growers are not seeking handouts. They are demanding fairness, continuity of the MIS, and guaranteed market access. The neglect from the NC has jeopardized an entire community and undermined the rural economy,” she declared.

She urged the NC government to promptly revive and expand the MIS, ensure smooth truck movement on the Srinagar–Jammu highway, and prioritize horticulture as a permanent pillar of Jammu and Kashmir's economic strategy instead of treating it as an afterthought.

Horticulture, not tourism, is the predominant industry in Kashmir, contributing Rs 10,000 crores to the union territory's economy annually. The apple industry serves as the backbone of Kashmir’s horticulture, alongside cherries, walnuts, almonds, peaches, and pears that are also cultivated and sold outside the region.

Due to the ongoing blockades of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, apple growers and traders faced significant losses this year as their produce rotted in stranded trucks.

Over the past three days, more than 6,000 trucks carrying apples have successfully moved along the Srinagar-Jammu highway and the Mughal Road, which connects Shopian district in the Valley with Poonch district in Jammu.