SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Bank on Thursday held a customer interaction and felicitation meeting at the Industrial Growth Centre (IGC), Lassipora, Pulwama, bringing together more than 50 representatives of controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage facilities, fruit trade and other industrial units to discuss banking needs and sector-specific challenges.
Held under the theme “Our Customer—Our Privilege”, the meeting was chaired by the Bank’s Chief General Manager (Credit), Ashutosh Sareen, and attended by senior bank officials and representatives of industrial and horticulture bodies.
Sareen reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting agriculture, horticulture and industrial growth, saying timely banking support was essential for growers, the apple value chain and employment generation. He said the Bank would examine concerns and suggestions raised by customers within its policy framework and applicable regulatory requirements.
President of Industrial Estate Lassipora Mukhtar Ahmad Khan said the estate housed around 950 industrial units employing nearly 20,000 people. He thanked the Bank for its support to apple production, storage and processing, while highlighting concerns over rising input costs, working capital requirements, delays in credit disbursement and collateral-free credit guarantee schemes.
President of the Jammu Kashmir Fruits and Vegetables Processing and Integrated Cold Chain Association (JKPICCA), Bashir Ahmad Naik, called for a dedicated mechanism through which industry representatives could periodically discuss sector-specific banking issues with the concerned authorities.
In his welcome address, the Bank’s General Manager and Divisional Head (Kashmir), Arshad Qadri, said the interaction aimed to strengthen support for growers, traders and businesses linked to horticulture. He also stressed the need to bridge the gap between apple production and storage capacity, particularly to benefit small and marginal farmers.
Qadri said the Bank had financed more than 80 per cent of controlled-atmosphere stores in the Valley, with an exposure of around ₹2,000 crore in the segment.
General Manager Suresh Kumar Chowdhary responded to concerns raised by participants, emphasising the importance of timely credit and adequate working capital for business operations. He said the Bank would work towards practical solutions while adhering to its policies and regulatory requirements.
The Bank said its senior leadership had listened to the participants’ concerns and responded to their queries during the meeting. It reiterated its commitment to examining the issues and suggestions raised within the applicable framework. Participants were also felicitated on the occasion.
The meeting was attended by General Manager Suresh Kumar Chowdhary, Zonal Head (Srinagar) Sheikh Mohammad Muzaffar, Zonal Head (Pulwama) Masood Ahmad Lankar, Deputy General Manager and Head M&LC (Kashmir) Nuzhat Parveen, cluster heads and other senior officials. President of Fruit Mandi Pulwama Javad Ahmad also represented the fruit trade.
