Spiritual leader Baba Ramdev, who has always supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative, reportedly gets his apple juice from a Chinese supplier instead of an Indian one.
Ramdev's flagship project Patanjali Yogpeeth sells several products such fruit juices, rice and basic grocery items that, he claims, are purer than other sellers'.
In 2010, Patanjali Yogpeeth had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce, Processing and Marketing Corporation (HPMC), which supplied apple juice concentrate to Yogpeeth from 2010 to 2012.
When the MoU was signed, HPMC had quoted Rs 72 for a kg of apple juice and Patanjali had agreed to buy 350 to 700 tonne of apple juice concentrate from it every year. However, they were unable to bear the cost of production with the said amount, according to The Tribune.
HPMC then proposed a revision in the cost, but Patanjali Yogpeeth stopped taking supplies from them after 2012, said HPMC vice chairman Prakash Thakur.
"The HPMC asked Baba Ramdev to revise the cost per kg of apple juice from Rs 72 per to Rs 100, but the Patanjali Yogpeeth dumped the HPMC offer and never responded," Thakur said.
Thakur has requested Ramdev to resume business with HPMC.
"If Baba Ramdev is really cared a bit for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" campaign then he should buy HPMC juice concentrate. Even today, we request Baba Ramdev to direct his managers to buy local juice concentrate rather than getting it from other dubious sources," he said.
