Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said the state government is conducting a legal study to implement universal cartons to economically empower apple growers here.
Addressing a delegation of the Theog assembly constituency, Sukhu said that various steps have been taken by setting up controlled atmosphere (CA) stores to save the horticulturists from exploitation by the middlemen and so that they could get remunerative prices of their produce.
The state government is considering setting up an apple-based distillery, which would provide an additional source of income to the horticulturists as they could sell under size and rotten apples for winery products, Sukhu said.
He said that the banks should work for the welfare of the farmers by providing generous loans to them for agriculture, fisheries and horticulture sectors so that the rural economy of the state could also be strengthened.
