Buoyed up by its success in selling urea to the farmers at reasonable rate, Bihar Marketing Cooperative Federation Biscomaun has now begun selling Kashmiri apples at a much lower rate compared to the market, through its sales counters spread across the state.
The famed Kashmiri apples could be spotted at Biscomaun sale counters at the rate of Rs 75 per Kg. “Biscomaun and Nafed are doing a favour not only to the people of Bihar but also to the apple growers in J & K who were not able to find market in the wake of abolition of Art 370. It is a service dedicated to nation’s welfare”, quipped an observer.
It bears recall that Nafed made Biscomaun its agency to sell Kashmiri apples in the state soon after the Central Government entrusted Nafed with the procurement assignment of apples from the troubled state- a challenge co-op titan Nafed is carrying forward with great success.
State Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar and Cooperative Minister Rana Randhir Singh jointly inaugurated the drive of Biscomaun last week in the presence of several eminent cooperators of the state.
The Agriculture Minister said after the abolition of Section 370 and 35A from Kashmir, the farmers have started getting good prices for their apples due to the initiatives of co-op bodies like Nafed and Biscomaun.
Cooperative Minister Rana Randhir urged the Central Government to set up MSP for apple like other crops to benefit the farmers of Kashmir. Earlier, the farmers were forced to sell the apple at the rate of Rs 10 per kg. But now they will get remunerative prices.
On his facebook wall Randhir wrote, “Today, in Patna launched the marketing drive of Kashmiri Apple through NAFED and BISCOMAN. With the initiative of Biscoman, the people of Bihar will now be able to get original 
Kashmiri apples available at very low price”.
Biscomaun Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh said, “Generally in the state vendors would sell the apple at the rate of Rs 140 per kg but Biscomaun will provide Kashmiri apple at the rate of only Rs 75 per kg which is rich in quality”.
“50 trucks of apples are coming from Sopia, Anantnag and Baramulla at Biscomaun. 30 trucks of coconuts are coming from East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh”, he informed during the launching.
Besides, on the occasion of Chhath Puja- Biscomaun will sell water Coconut at Rs 25 from 29th October up to the next five days.
Readers would recall that in a recently concluded AGM of Nafed MD Sanjiv Chadha informed that the federal govt has selected NAFED for procurement of apple crop from Kashmir after the abrogation of article 370 from the state of Jammu & Kashmir.
Bihar State Cooperative Bank Chairman Ramesh Chaubey, Gopal Giri, Mahesh Rai, Satendra Narayan Singh and others attended the inaugural function.
