Himachal apple growers hail GST cut on cartons

Shimla, June 23

While welcoming the move to reduce GST on all cartons, including those used for the packaging of apple, the apple growers continue to stick to their demand to waive off GST fully or at least keep it in the lowest bracket on the packaging material of apple. And they want the GST removed/reduced not only on the packaging material but also on pesticides, fertilizers and other farm inputs and equipment in view of the escalating cost of production.

“It’s a good move and we welcome it. It will reduce the cost of the carton by Rs 5-6. But given how much the cost of production has gone up in recent years and several other challenges the growers are facing, it’s not enough,” said Harish Chauhan, convener, Sanyukt Kisan Manch.

Lokinder Bisht, president of the Progressive Growers Association (PGA), while welcoming the move, has also demanded that GST should be kept in the lowest category. “Apart from the rising cost of production, the growing import and reducing subsidies are dragging down the income and net profit of the apple growers. If the government is unable or unwilling to provide relief on imports and subsidies, it should then at least keep the GST in the lowest bracket to help the fruit growers,” said Bisht.

Meanwhile, thanking the Centre for reducing GST on cartons, the state BJP leaders say the decision would provide a big relief to the growers in the state. “We have been raising this issue through our leaders like JP Nadda, Anurag Thakur and Jai Ram Thakur before Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The growers will now get the cartons at reasonable prices,” said Chetan Bragta, the BJP spokesperson from the apple belt.

The BJP has suffered electoral reversals in the apple growing belts in district Shimla in the last couple of years due to the decisions that were seen as “anti-apple growers” by a large number of fruit growers. The state BJP leaders would hope to regain some of the lost ground through this decision in the apple belt.