Itanagar, Mar 11: The Kiwi Growers’ Association of Anini (KGAA) has alleged that thousands of imported walnut saplings from Turkey have been lying abandoned and completely dried up at a departmental farm in Tawang since mid-2024.
In a statement, the association claimed that the saplings were part of nearly one lakh exotic horticulture planting materials worth about Rs 13 crore procured under the Atma Nirbhar Plantation Yojana.
According to the association, the exotic varieties imported during 2023–24 included kiwi, walnut, avocado, blueberry, pear, rambutan, mangosteen, longan and citrus.
KGAA said the state’s Directorate of Horticulture has instituted an internal inquiry headed by an Under Secretary (Horticulture) along with two Deputy Directors to examine the matter. It further alleged that farmers were supplied dry and unhealthy kiwi saplings, which led to near-total mortality after plantation, causing losses of labour, time and financial resources spent on field preparation and planting.
According to the growers’ body, the then District Horticulture Officer of Anini had informed farmers that the saplings were centrally procured by the Directorate of Horticulture and district officials were verbally instructed to collect the consignments from the State Horticulture Farm at Shergaon.
However, the saplings were reportedly received in a drying condition, which resulted in large-scale losses in farmers’ fields.
More alarmingly, the association claimed that no official communication, guidelines or scheme documents were ever issued to District Horticulture Officers by the Directorate regarding the implementation of the programme. As a result, district authorities were allegedly not formally informed about the scheme.
KGAA stated that in the absence of written directives, the entire process reportedly took place through verbal and telephonic instructions, leading to confusion and lack of accountability at the field level. In some cases, interested farmers themselves collected the saplings and planted them independently.
Documents available with farmers indicate that similar situations occurred in several districts, suggesting a broader breakdown in planning and coordination, the association claimed.
It also said that district horticulture officers informed farmers that they were not involved in the procurement process and had not received any official implementation plan or advance instructions for field preparation before the arrival of the plants.
“Some officers even refused to receive the consignments due to the absence of proper documentation,” the association said.
As a result, large quantities of imported plants were allegedly left abandoned in departmental farms, including thousands of dried walnut saplings discovered in Tawang, while many others perished in farmers’ fields due to poor-quality planting materials and lack of technical guidance.
The association also expressed apprehension about the credibility of the ongoing departmental inquiry, stating that the inquiry committee functions under the administrative control of the same authority that approved the procurement.
Seeking accountability, KGAA said it has submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary demanding an independent and impartial investigation into the entire procurement and distribution process.