Apple farmers from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Tuesday participated in a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the central government’s horticultural policies.
The farmers alleged that these policies enabled large agribusiness corporate houses to make huge profits while the growers face a decline in their income. Apple Farmers Federation of India (AFFI) secretary Zaroor Ahmad said that farmers are not getting good prices for thier crops. He said that although, apple growers are divided by state boundaries, they are united in their effort to save apple farming in the country.
The protesting farmers submitted a 9-point memorandum with demands including the withdrawal of eviction orders issued to farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. The Forest Department in Himachal Pradesh has also been sending out such eviction notices in recent years, the farmers’ body leaders alleged.