Rail Budget 2016: Horticulture farmers highly disappointed

PUNE: Horticulture farmers are highly disappointed as the railway budget failed to take note of their long standing demands.

"Despite bumper production of Nagpur oranges and Nagpur being connected to the rail network, orange farmers do not get access to this cheap and safe route of moving oranges to Delhi or Kolkata," said Amol Totey, president, All India Orange Growers' Association.

"It is the well connected traders or the carting agents, who have monopoly on whatever little space railway offers for horticulture goods. Small farmers or the now growing number of Farmer Producer Organisations hardly get space on trains," he said.

The grape farmers too have been demanding for rail transport for carrying grapes from the grape growing pockets of Nashik and Solapur in Maharashtra to the consuming centres like Kolkata and Delhi. "Railway never calls farmers to listen to their problems before formulating a budget. All the farmers will be greatly benefited if they get access to railway to send their produce to cities," said Sopan Kanchan, president, All India Grape Growers' Association.

Railways suspended the experimental Horticulture Train, which used to mainly carry the bananas from Jalgaon to Delhi, a few years ago as it was not profitable.