Marketing Board committee formed to implement universal carton
Shimla. It is about to be one year since the government led by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was formed in Himachal. Within a year, many changes have taken place in the state in the form of system changes, while on the other hand, the process of selling apples has also changed. For the first time in Himachal, the process of selling apples according to weight has started. Earlier, apples were sold in pits in the markets.
In such a situation, gardeners were paid for 22 to 24 kg of apples, whereas 30 to 32 kg of apples were purchased from the gardeners. Gardeners had been demanding for a long time to start the system of selling apples on kilo basis in the markets. In such a situation, this time the government started the system of selling apples on the basis of kilos in the markets. The government is going to implement universal carton across the state from the next apple season. The state government has already started preparations for this. Universal carton will be mandatory for packaging in the next apple season.
For this, the Marketing Board has constituted a committee. This committee will submit its report next month i.e. in the month of December. After this, guidelines will be issued to implement universal carton in the state in the month of December itself. Many gardeners and horticulture associations in the state are demanding implementation of universal carton for packaging of apples. For this, he has also met Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi several times.
In such a situation, this year apples were sold in the markets in the state on the basis of kilos, due to which the gardeners benefited. Now the government has already started work to implement Universal Carton so that carton manufacturers can produce them. At present telescopic cartons are being used in the state. There are two boxes in a telescopic carton. In this, apples are packed in quantities exceeding the prescribed standards. That means, 35 to 40 kg of apples are filled in a 20 kg box, due to which the gardeners were incurring losses. In view of this, from this year the government had decided that not more than 24 kg of apples will be filled in one box.
