Expressing solidarity with the protesting apple growers of Himachal Pradesh, the Aam Admi Party has demanded rollback of GST on carton boxes. AAP Farmers’ Wing, Himachal President, Aninder Singh Notty accused the BJP governments of being anti-farmer: “Due to the wrong policies of the BJP government, the apple farmers of the state are suffering. The price of the packaging material of apples has gone up drastically.”
Pointing out that the packaging charges for apples have exceeded by Rs 300 per box, he said the farmers can’t afford the price. “Besides, the rates of fertilizers and pesticides have also increased during the tenure of BJP government, the increase in inflation is hitting the farmers the hard,” he added.
The BJP government has increased the rate of GST on cartons from 12 to 18 percent, due to this the prices of cartons have increased tremendously, he said, adding that the bundle of 100 trays which was getting Rs 450 to 550 last year, this year is now costing 700 to 800 rupees per bundle.
[ Rs 100 = €1.20 ]
Source: thestatesman.com
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