Apple import norms get mixed response from Jammu & Kashmir growers
Apple growers of Jammu and Kashmir, the highest apple producing state or union territory (UT) of the country, have given mixed reactions to the imposition of restrictions by the Centre on free import of apples with cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) price less than or equal to ₹50 per kg
Apple growers of Jammu and Kashmir, the highest apple producing state or union territory (UT) of the country, have given mixed reactions to the imposition of restrictions by the Centre on free import of apples with cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) price less than or equal to ₹50 per kg.
While some have hailed the move, others said the step will make little impact and wanted an increase in ₹50/kg minimum import price (MIP) bracket for the restrictions or a minimum support price (MSP) for the home-grown apples.
Apple farmers of the UT along with growers from other parts of the country, including Himachal, have been up in arms against cheap apples from foreign nations, particularly countries such as Iran and Turkey, owing to the effect these had on rates and sales of apples produced within the country.
Bashir Ahmad Bashir, chairman of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-dealers union, said the ban on free import of apples below or equal to ₹50 CIF was a good step.
“This is a welcome move. Iran and Turkey apples had made our lives difficult. Our demand and market would suffer as we were not even able to recover our production costs earlier,” he said.
“Iran apples would enter the country via Dubai particularly through coastal areas such as Mumbai and Gujarat at cheaper rates than ours,” he said.
Some fruit growers in Kashmir said the fresh move would make a negligible impact owing to higher rates of high quality apples.
Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of fruit association of apple town Sopore, said apples imported from outside are mostly above ₹50 and thus the move won’t benefit them much. An apple grower of south Kashmir’s Shopian district also said the new rules won’t help the apple growers of the country much as the import quality of apples is high and rates of majority of them are above ₹50.
On Monday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a notification stating that import of apples is now ‘prohibited’ wherever the CIF import price is less than or equal to ₹50 per kg. The import of apples will remain free if the price is above ₹50 per kg (under WTO pact) and below that, an import duty of 50% will be levied. However, these minimum import price (MIP) conditions shall not be applicable for imports from Bhutan.
The move had come after apple farmers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir had protested in Delhi in April over no import duty on imported apples and end of market intervention scheme by the Centre. They had demanded imposition of 100% import duty on apples, mandatory universal carton for packaging and removal of GST on all commodities related to apple production.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, responded that under the WTO pact, a maximum of 50% duty can be levied on apples.
Kashmir is India’s largest apple grower fetching a revenue of over ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 crore to the UT and contributing around eight to 10% of its gross domestic product. The UT produces around 20 lakh metric tons of apples per year. Around seven lakh farming families (approximately 35 lakh people) are directly or indirectly associated with the horticulture sector.