Horticulture Sector Faces Growing Challenges, Many Growers Still Await Old MIS Payments: Sandipani Bhardwaj
MIS Apple Procurement Falls to Just 10,000 MT Against Nearly 1 Lakh MT Last Year; Lowest Level in a Decade: Bhardwaj
Only 18,000 Growers Registered Under MIS Against 45,000 Last Year; Government Must Explain Sharp Decline
CA Store Announcements Alone Will Not Fill Growers’ Pockets; Government Must Reveal Actual Utilisation and Benefits
Shimla: BJP State Spokesperson Sandipani Bhardwaj has raised questions over the functioning of the Himachal Pradesh government’s horticulture policies, particularly with regard to payments under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), apple procurement, storage facilities and marketing arrangements. She said the government must move beyond announcements and publicity and place the actual facts and figures before the apple growers of the state.
Bhardwaj said the latest figures raise serious questions about the functioning of the MIS. During 2026, only around 10,000 metric tonnes of C-grade apples have so far been procured under the Market Intervention Scheme, compared with nearly 1 lakh metric tonnes last year. According to reports, this is the lowest MIS procurement level in the last decade. However, lower production and relatively stable prices in the open market have also been cited among the major reasons behind the decline.
She said that Himachal Pradesh had produced around 3.5 crore apple boxes last year, whereas this year the production is not even expected to reach the Horticulture Department’s initial estimate of 2 crore boxes. Similarly, around 45,000 growers had registered under MIS last year, while only approximately 18,000 growers have registered this year.
Bhardwaj said the government should clearly explain how much of this sharp decline is attributable to lower crop production, open-market prices and the new online registration system. The new digital system was introduced with the objective of making the process more transparent, while HPMC management has also stated that its actual impact can be assessed more effectively in the coming years when production returns to normal levels.
Government Must Give Clear Reply on Pending MIS Payments
Sandipani Bhardwaj also questioned the government over pending payments related to the previous MIS procurement season. She said that in July, the government had announced the release of ₹45 crore towards old MIS dues. According to the government, payments to growers who had supplied up to 30 bags of apples were made on priority.
However, on August 30, the Himachal Apple Growers’ Association had alleged that even after completing the required documentation and waiting for more than a month, several growers had still not received the money in their bank accounts.
Bhardwaj demanded that the government clarify how much of last year’s MIS payment remains pending as of today, how many growers have received their payments and how many cases are still pending due to verification or documentation-related procedures.
She said that growers do not need announcements alone; they need the money for their produce to reach their bank accounts on time.
Bhardwaj also referred to reports of investigations into irregularities in records related to the previous procurement. According to media reports, allegations had emerged in some cases that quantities higher than the actual number of apple bags supplied by growers were recorded in official records. She said that action should be taken against anyone found guilty, but genuine growers should not be made to suffer because of investigations, and their legitimate payments should not be unnecessarily withheld.
Government Must Make Actual CA Store Utilisation Data Public
The BJP spokesperson also sought complete transparency from the government regarding Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage facilities. She said that HPMC had opened bookings for its CA stores for 2026 and announced arrangements to reserve storage capacity for farmers.
According to the available information, the CA storage capacity includes 2,062 MT at Jadola Tikkar, 2,020 MT at Rohru, 250 MT at Reckong Peo, 700 MT at Oddi and 500 MT at Katlog. An announcement was made to reserve 20 per cent of the capacity for farmers. The Gumma CA store has a capacity of 2,017 MT, which has been stated to be available for farmers.
Bhardwaj said the government should not limit its information to the total capacity of CA stores. It should also disclose how many growers actually utilised government CA storage facilities during the current season, how much apple was stored, at what rates the facilities were provided and at what average price the produce was subsequently sold.
She said these figures would provide a clear picture of whether the government’s storage arrangements actually benefited growers at the ground level or remained limited to announcements and official figures.
Apple Industry Crucial to Himachal’s Rural Economy
Bhardwaj said the apple industry is an extremely important component of Himachal Pradesh’s rural economy. According to available government details, apples account for approximately 80 per cent of the state’s total fruit production and nearly 50 per cent of the total fruit-growing area. Shimla district alone is reported to contribute around 55 per cent of the state’s apple production.
She said that given the importance of the apple economy, timely payments, procurement, scientific storage and transparent marketing arrangements are crucial for the financial stability of thousands of horticulturists and farming families across the state.
Bhardwaj demanded that the government release a comprehensive status report covering pending MIS payments, year-wise procurement, the number of registered growers, actual utilisation of CA storage capacity and the benefits actually received by growers.
She said the apple growers are the backbone of Himachal Pradesh’s economy, and the real test of government policies should not be the number of announcements made but whether growers are actually receiving fair prices for their produce, timely payments, safe storage facilities and a transparent marketing system.