overweighing forbidden manufacturers to mention maximum weight on each cartonkuldeep chauhantribune news serviceshimla, april 20the state horticulture department has notified apple packaging cartons for the coming season. officials, however, said overweighing was forbidden as manufacturers would mention the maximum weight on each carton that it could carry.&ldquowe have notified apple cartons for the coming season. farmers can use carton of their choice &ndash telescopic and universal,&rdquo revealed tarun shridhar, additional chief secretary, horticulture and forests.the state government forbids overweighing and overpackaging of the fruit. &ldquosince each carton mentions its carrying capacity, overweighing of cartons is forbidden. violation can attract punishment,&rdquo asserted shridhar.&ldquowe have left a margin of 2 to 3 kg in each carton for farmers before finalising the weight limit,&rdquo he added. hpmc vicechairman prakash thakur said farmers preferred to pack apples in all types of cartons &mdash big or small. &ldquothe standard cartons developed by the indian packaging institute was dropped as its cost turns out to be rs 79 excluding trays, which is very high, considering the average carton cost which was rs 44 excluding trays last year,&rdquo he added.&ldquothe society was of the view that packaging of apples in universal cartons was not acceptable as it is an assault on the right of farmers&rsquo freedom to carry out their business as they wish to,&rdquo said vineet sarjolta, secretary, himalayan apple growers society.but farmers hail the decision of the government to check overweighing, asserted laxman thakur, chairperson, ecohorts, nandpur. stakeholders, including manufacturers, should be made aware of new packaging cartons rules, shridhar said. &ldquowe will organise awareness camps for all stakeholders before the onset of the season,&rdquo he added. 
