Tangmarg, Aug 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for a 50-kanal fruit and vegetable mandi at Wussan in Tangmarg, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the area and providing growers with a dedicated local market for their produce.
The modern mandi, coming up along the Tangmarg-Gulmarg Road, is expected to benefit around nine lakh people across 19 blocks in Baramulla and Budgam districts. It will cater to the horticulture belt of Tangmarg and adjoining areas, providing facilities for handling, grading, sorting, packaging and marketing of agricultural and horticultural produce.
The project is also aimed at improving market access for growers, reducing post-harvest losses and strengthening logistics and supply chains by bringing buyers closer to production centres.
Addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation stone, Omar said the project fulfilled a 25-year-old demand of the constituency and underlined the need to recognise sectors beyond tourism when assessing Kashmir’s economy.
“Often, when we speak to people outside J&K, they feel that there is nothing but tourism in Kashmir and that our entire economy revolves around tourism. But when I explain to them that agriculture, horticulture, fruits, dairy and other sectors contribute much more, they are surprised,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the mandi was particularly important for Tangmarg as the area is a major horticulture-producing belt, but growers have traditionally been required to transport their produce to distant markets.
“Your fruits and vegetables were being grown here, but to take them to the market you had to travel to far-off markets. You did not always get buyers. Now, through this market, the buyers will come here and, through the buyers, you will get a better rate,” Omar said.
He said the new infrastructure would help improve the quality and handling of produce while facilitating access to wider markets. The facility, he added, would create a new source of income and provide a boost to the rural economy.
Gulmarg MLA Farooq Ahmad Shah described the foundation-laying ceremony as a “historic moment”, saying the area produces substantial quantities of apples, pears and cherries but growers have traditionally transported their produce to Sopore or Srinagar.
Shah credited Omar and his Cabinet, particularly Minister Javed Ahmed Dar, with turning the long-pending demand into reality.
“I have told in the Assembly as well that we can be the Switzerland of Asia, be it tourism, where we are best in the country, horticulture, animal and sheep husbandry. We should utilise the potential,” Shah said.
He said the mandi was part of a broader development plan for the Gulmarg constituency, with a Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage facility set to be the next priority.
“Today it is the mandi, next will be the CA Store and within one year there will be one of the major achievement news that will change the scenario of the Gulmarg constituency,” Shah said.
“I had promised the people and I am on it that by 2029, Gulmarg constituency will be the best among all,” he added.
The Wussan mandi is expected to provide growers in Tangmarg and the wider Gulmarg area with a dedicated platform closer to their production centres, potentially improving price realisation and reducing the costs and losses associated with transporting perishable produce to distant markets.
