AMN / SHIMLA
Himachal Pradesh government has procured record amount of apple this season in over a decade. The HPMC and Himfed have procured the apple via Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). The combined procurement of the two organisations this year is close to 70,000 MT.
These include over 35,000 MT by HPMC and 33,000 MT by Himfed. This is the maximum Himfed has procured in over a decade. Last year, it had bought 18,000 MT. For HPMC, too, this is a record procurement over the past decade or so.
The procurement through the MIS has spiked because much of the apple was rendered substandard due to persistent hail and untimely dry spell. While the HPMC uses a portion of its procurement for making juices and jams, the rest is auctioned in Parwanoo.