Panchkula, September 11: With an aim to encouraging the farmers of the region, the Haryana government has reduced the market fee on apple crop from two per cent to one per cent to allure the apple growers and dealers of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir so that they could sell and store their crop at the upcoming Panchkula apple mandi.

Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced this while in the city for laying the foundation stone of the apple market, retail section of vegetable market and flower market in Sector 20 of Panchkula, today.

“At present the apple crop from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are being unloaded and re-handled in the Chandigarh grain market, which is not only congested, but is also having insufficient space as compared to the amount of apple crop which arrives. The setting of apple market at Panchkula would felicitate the apple growers of these two states for sale and storage of apple besides reducing the congestion of market at Chandigarh,” said Hooda.

He further added that with an increased arrival of apple crop at Panchkula market would go a long way in increasing the income of the state. The apple market would be developed on a covered area of 3.13 acres. While the first floor would have the shops, the cold storage would be at the ground floor. As for the retail section of vegetable market, it would be developed over a covered area of about 25,000 square metres. It would have multi-storeyed complex, with latest facilities, shops of different sizes, four elevators and two escalators.

He also added that parking facility would be provided at the basement. Similarly, the flower market which would be developed in a double storeyed complex would have air conditioned shops besides auction facilities.