HPMC, a government undertaking, has dealt a big blow to 9 lakh apple orchards of Himachal Pradesh by increasing the price of cartons by up to 15 per cent from last year. Not only this, this time the gardeners will also have to buy packing trays from the market at expensive prices. Last year, the corporation had provided packing trays from the companies at cheaper prices than the market. This time no company came forward to provide the tray. Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) this time has fixed the price of 20 kg carton from Rs 66.78 to Rs 75.65, while the price of 10 kg carton is from Rs 50.43 to Rs 52.40.
Two companies from Himachal Pradesh and one company from Ghaziabad will provide the cartons. Inflation hit the gardeners due to the cost of cartons and packing trays. It is said that HPMC had sold bundles of Rs 575 per hundred trays to the gardeners last year, but this year they are getting this bundle from the open market for Rs 800. It is informed that the tenders of two Himachal and one Ghaziabad company have been approved for the supply of cartons.
