KASHMIR LIFE: It has been a long journey for you from being a businessman to a politician. How was it actually?
SYED M ALTAF BUKHARI (SMAB): Being very honest, I never consider myself to be a politician. I come from a background where my father was a self-made man, who was in the service of people who were the backbone of the economy, the fruit industry. As an agriculture graduate, I took over the family business from him and took it forward on scientific lines as per the requirements of the changing times. We started from Kashmir and expanded throughout the country and eventually came to be known as the best brands in the crop protection chemical segment.
Then we got into food processing, which got us the singular distinction of being the only private player in apple processing with German collaboration. We also introduced the Controlled Atmosphere Storage (CAS) that I had read about in the seventies and commissioned the plant in 2005. Later, we helped the Container Corporation of India to create a 12000 ton CAS facility in Haryana that we managed for 10 years. CAS was my dream and I pat my back when I see Kashmir having 150 thousand metric tonnes CAS facility.
As the new generation took over, I slowly pulled back from the professionally managed company and started giving time to the public service through politics. I found this platform has the capacity to serve the people better, so I devoted more time. It is the platform where you can help people who serve to be helped.
My association with politics is incidental as well as accidental. I had my friends in politics. Personally, I never was a politician and I never would become a politician. I do not need the politics for my survival and it is not my profession. I did it as a public service when I fought the elections and was made a minister and that is an open book.
This story is from the February 23-29, 2020; Issue 47 Vol 11; ‘I pray to God to give me the stature of Bakshi Sahib’ edition of Kashmir Life.
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This story is from the February 23-29, 2020; Issue 47 Vol 11; ‘I pray to God to give me the stature of Bakshi Sahib’ edition of Kashmir Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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