HPMC Under Fire: Apple Growers Slam  the Sukhu government mainky horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi for Leasing CA Stores to Private Players.. HOMC remains in the red over years and Negi has no  plan to bring  professionalism to the organization. 

Shimla, April 2: Apple growers in Himachal Pradesh are up in arms against the Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi and the Himachal Pradesh Marketing Corporation (HPMC) for leasing out its Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores to private players.

The move, they say, not only betrays the interests of the farmers but also exposes the larger failure of HPMC in fulfilling its original mandate.

HPMC was initially established to break the monopoly of commission agents in Delhi and provide direct market access to apple growers.

It successfully transported and sold Himachal apples in various markets, liberating farmers from exploitative middlemen.

However, over the years, the organization has deteriorated into little more than a seller of pesticides, agricultural tools, and packaging materials, all while failing to establish itself as a serious market player.

HPMC’s Failure to Reform

Under the leadership of Minister Jagat Singh Negi, HPMC has failed to revamp itself.

Losses are mounting,  corruption is high. 

Despite receiving significant financial support from the World Bank-funded Apple Rejuvenation Project, the corporation has chosen to lease its upgraded cold storage facilities to private players instead of directly benefiting the growers.

Apple farmers argue that this will lead to monopolistic control by private entities, leaving them at the mercy of non-transparent pricing mechanisms.

"Instead of working for the welfare of growers, HPMC has washed its hands off the matter.

It has betrayed farmers by handing over crucial infrastructure to private businesses that will dictate storage rates and conditions," said Lokinder Bisht, President, PGA.

Corruption and Mismanagement

HPMC has also come under fire for procuring substandard tools and machines—including sprayers, cutters, fertilizers, spray oils, cartons, and trays—and selling them to farmers at inflated prices, chargeed growers.

Farmers allege rampant corruption in the procurement process, further burdening them financially.

Moreover, HPMC lacks professional market managers and is instead run by politicians and bureaucrats who have little to no expertise in horticultural trade and industry. 

This has left the organization in perpetual financial distress, failing to provide apple growers with a reliable alternative to private traders.

Broken Promises and Absence from Market Yards

In 2023, the horticulture minister had announced with much fanfare that HPMC would enter Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards as a commission agent to provide growers better rates.

However, in 2024, HPMC was conspicuously absent from these yards, failing to deliver on its promise.

Now, by leasing out its CA stores to private players, it has completely stepped away from its role in ensuring fair prices for farmers.

The only silver lining, farmers say, is HPMC’s decision to procure apples under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) in crates instead of bags and the introduction of the universal carton last year.

However, these steps are far from enough to restore faith in the organization.

Demand for Accountability

Farmers’ associations, including the Progressive Growers Association (PGA), are now demanding accountability from the horticulture minister.

"The incompetence of the horticulture minister needs to be called out. If HPMC continues down this path, it will completely lose its relevance, said the farmers. 

"We need an immediate rollback of this decision and a clear roadmap for HPMC to function as a pro-farmer organization," said Bisht.

The big question remains: Does the World Bank’s funding regulations even allow for the leasing out of these facilities to private players?

If not, this could be yet another scandal in the making.

With the apple season fast approaching, growers are now gearing up for protests, demanding that HPMC either fulfill its mandate or be restructured entirely.

The ball is now in the court of the government—will it act in the interest of the farmers or bow down to private interests?