The Horticulture Department has written to the state government to extend the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for the procurement of C grade apple till November 15.

Key Points:

• The procurement scheme was scheduled till October 31. The HPMC, the procurement agency, has written to state government demanding that it be extend by another 15 days as some farmers in higher-altitude areas still have some fruit left with them. 
• The Horticulture Department has decided to keep its control rooms at Fagu and Kudu operational for another 10 days.

Market Intervention Scheme:

• MIS is a price support mechanism implemented on the request of State Governments for the procurement of perishable and horticultural commodities in the event of a fall in market prices.
• It is implemented when there is at least a 10% increase in production or a 10% decrease in the ruling rates over the previous normal year.
• MIS works in a similar fashion to Minimum Support Price based procurement mechanism for food grains but is an ad-hoc mechanism.
• Its objective is to protect the growers of these horticultural/agricultural commodities from making distress sale in the event of the bumper crop.
• Under MIS, support can be provided in some years, for a limited but defined period, in specified critical markets and by purchasing specified quantities. The initiative has to emerge from the concerned state.

Commodities covered:

• The MIS has been implemented in case of commodities like apples, garlic, oranges, grapes, mushrooms, clove, black pepper, pineapple, ginger, red chillies, coriander seed, chicory, onions, potatoes, cabbage, mustard seed, castor seed, copra, palm oil etc.