Apple growers have Rs 26 cr pending with commission agents
Commission agents have to pay around Rs 26 crore to apple growers pending over the past few years. As many as 600 apple growers have filed complaints against various commission agents.
The government tabled the information in the Assembly in response to a question asked by Balbir Verma, BJP MLA from Chopal. Some of the biggest defaulters include Himachal Rose Apple Fruit and Vegetable, Tomar Fruit and Vegetable Company, Anam Fruit Company, SSC, Noila Fruit Traders, etc.
Incidentally, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed in 2019 to help apple growers recover their money from the commission agents. The SIT had received over 1,500 complaints of cheating and pending payments. At that time, the SIT in-charge had claimed that most of the complaints had been resolved and a pending payment Rs 20 crore was made to the growers.
As per the government reply, the police personnel in the SIT had been transferred and the investigation into the pending cases was being conducted by officers of the crime branch.
Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that action was being taken against the agents, as per the provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Agricultural and Horticultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2005, for non-payment of money to the growers.
