Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Navin K Choudhary, today reviewed the functioning of Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Produce Marketing Corporation (JKHPMC) Limited. Director, Horticulture Kashmir, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat and Managing Director, JKHPMC, Shafat Sultan were present in the meeting. Managing Director, JKHPMC gave a detailed presentation explaining various initiatives taken up by JKHPMC to make the Corporation vibrant and viable as well. Navin Choudhary stressed upon the MD, JKHPMC to map all the abandoned assets of the Corporation, in order to put them to productive use for increasing the revenue streams of the Corporation. He exhorted upon the Corporation management to set up two Control Atmospheric (CA) Stores one each in Jammu and Kashmir regions. For Kashmir, he suggested Watergam area, given that there are fewer CA stores in the northern part of the valley and also since the Corporation owns a few land banks in the region. Similarly in respect of Jammu, Corporation would set up one Cold Store in Fruit Mandi Narwal, Jammu. Principal Secretary stressed upon the MD JKHPMC to explore the possibility of setting up packaging units for apple and vegetables. Pertinently, JKHPMC owns an Apple Juice Plant in Doabgah Sopore which is used to crush ‘C’ grade Apple. Principal Secretary asked that during off-apple harvest season, the plant could be gainfully utilized for processing and value addition of other fruits and vegetable items, so as to make the plant function round the year. He advised MD to set up cattle feed, honey and jam processing units in both regions of Jammu and Kashmir UT for increasing the revenue streams of the Corporation. The meeting informed that government has already in a cabinet decision decided debt – equity swap in respect of JKHPMC to the tune of Rs. 106 crore. Principal Secretary instructed MD, JKHPMC to have the shares of the Corporation issued in favour of the government in pursuance of the said government decision, so that Corporation becomes debt free and could raise loan from financial institutions for its diversification plans. Principal Secretary further asked the MD to make necessary arrangements for conducting the Board meeting of the Corporation next month.
