HPMC Guidelines Spark Outrage; Gardeners Threaten Statewide Agitation
BJP leader Chetan Bragta launched a scathing and aggressive attack on the Congress government over the new guidelines issued by the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Fruit and Vegetable Marketing and Processing Federation (HPMC) regarding payment for apples purchased under the MIS. Bragta called these guidelines completely anti-horticulturist, anti-farmer, and impractical, warning that if they were not immediately withdrawn, the BJP would launch a major agitation across the state.
Chetan Baragta said that the Congress government has now imposed a documentation terror on apple growers, who are already struggling with natural disasters, hailstorms, rain, and market uncertainties. In the name of new guidelines, the payment process has been deliberately made complex, lengthy, and frustrating by demanding additional documents such as garden cards, Aadhaar cards, and land records, in order to deprive orchardists of their rightful dues.
He sharply questioned that when the HPMC purchased apples under the MIS, there were no additional verification requirements or so many paperwork involved. Now, forcing orchardists to run around to the Patwari, the Horticulture Department, and other offices for payment exposes the Congress government’s ill intentions.
Baragata said that the reality of Himachal’s hilly areas is that most land is jointly owned, ancestrally, family-owned, or leased. Strictly linking apple production to revenue records is not only impractical but could also delay payments to actual orchardists for months. This decision directly amounts to mental, economic, and social harassment of orchardists.
He alleged that the HPMC was intended to provide relief to orchardists, but the Congress government has turned it into a patwari office and an investigation agency. This Congress policy is neither farmer-friendly nor in the state’s interest; instead, it creates fear, tension, and insecurity among orchardists.
Chetan Bragta stated bluntly that if the Congress government does not immediately withdraw these anti-planter guidelines and ensure seamless, simple, and transparent payment for apples under the MIS, the BJP will join apple growers in taking to the streets and launching a statewide, aggressive protest. He clarified that the entire responsibility for the protest will rest with the Congress government, which has once again proven its anti-farmer and anti-planter mentality.
