Srinagar, Jun 6: Expressing serious concern over the damages caused to various apple orchards in South Kashmir’s Kulgam and Shopian districts after spraying pesticides, General Secretary Jammu Kashmir Kisan Tehreek Ghulam Nabi Malik demanded inquiry into the allegations by growers and orchardists as to identify and book those responsible in it.
Malik as per a statement issued to GNS alleged that “No efforts have been made by the administration to check the quality of pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers before it is sold in the market.”
“Orchardists often lose fruits after spraying spurious pesticide in orchards but the government has never taken any step to stop it”, Malik as per the handout said.
Malik said that lackadaisical response of the concerned agencies to check this menace has compelled the peasant community to protest. “For past few years these substandard fertilizers and pesticides have been openly sold in the market and authorities are watching all this as mute spectators”, he alleged.
Kisan Tehreek urges the administration to establish testing laboratories at District levels to check this menace, the handout concludes. (GNS)
