Shimla: Congress national spokesperson and Theog MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore has demanded that the Himachal Pradesh government increase the support price for apples under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) from the existing ₹12 per kilogram to at least ₹20 per kilogram, citing rising production costs and mounting difficulties faced by apple growers.
Rathore said apple growers were already bearing the impact of unpredictable weather conditions, while the cost of labour, manure, fertilisers, fungicides and pesticides had increased significantly. In this situation, he said, the current MIS rate was insufficient to provide meaningful support to growers.
He said the apple crop had once again been affected this year, even as input costs continued to rise. The reduction in import duties on foreign apples was another concern for Himachal’s growers, he added, as cheaper imported apples could put additional pressure on local producers.
