The apple growers in Himachal will once again be able to buy subsidized pesticides at the Horticulture Department's store outlets. This is because the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, which required apple growers to buy pesticides from the market and then submit a request for reimbursement, has been withdrawn by the state government. It has issued orders to reinstate the previous scheme.
Senior Plant Protection Officer for the Horticulture Department Kirti Sinha said, "We have started the process of acquiring pesticides and selling them through stores operated by the Horticulture Department. We have started gathering information on demand and have started the process of deciding on a rate and contract. Once it’s finalized, we will start procuring pesticides and sell these to the growers.”
“The return of subsidized pesticides was one of the objectives in the 20-point charter which apple growers presented to the government. The decision to withdraw the DBT scheme will boost the morale of the fruit growers ahead of the planned protest in front of the Secretariat on August 5,” an apple grower said.
The DBT scheme, which was introduced last year, did not receive a good response from apple growers. The small subsidy amount it provided and the processes the growers had to complete were the two main causes of its failure. For sub-tropical fruits like mango and guava, a grower may be eligible for a subsidy of Rs 2,000 per hectare and Rs 4,000 per hectare for temperate fruits like apple and pear. The growers had to buy the pesticides from companies that were authorized in order to take advantage of the subsidy. They then had to submit the receipts, forms, revenue papers, and Udyan cards on the e-Udyan portal.
The Horticulture Department issued a proposal to the government to raise the subsidy amount to make it useful because the scheme had a negative response from the growers.
According to a senior official, "The Finance Department raised various questions and objections to the proposal.”
