Rajasthan fruit sellers boycott Turkish apples
This comes amid growing call from traders across the country for banning imports from Turkey after its support for Pakistan in the wake of India-Pakistan tensions
Jaipur: The fruit traders in Rajasthan’s Alwar, Ajmer and Jaipur on Saturday announced boycott of apple imports from Turkey, following its support to Pakistan against India during Operation Sindoor.
This comes amid growing call from traders across the country for banning imports from Turkey after its support for Pakistan in the wake of India-Pakistan tensions.
In Rajasthan, too, traders have joined the boycott call even though the sale of Turkish apples is minimal in the state.
Govind Chelani, president of the Jaipur Fruit Mandi Union said, “We will boycott Turkish apples. For us our country comes before our business. We are selling apples from Himachal and Kashmir.”
He said Turkish apples are not relished in the state and there are only a few sellers in mandis of Jaipur, Alwar, Ajmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur.
In Alwar, the Alwar Fruit Mandi Union held a meeting a couple of days ago and decided not to sell apples from Turkey, said Pappu Saini, patron of the Alwar Phal Sabji Mandi Aadati Union.
“We get Turkish apples from Delhi and between March to May, around 15 tonnes of apples are imported in Rajasthan. But this time, all fruit traders have been asked not to sell apples from Turkey because of its support to Pakistan. For us, our country comes before our business,” he said.
Saini said apples from other countries such as South Africa, US, Fiji, Himachal and Kashmir are still available with traders.
Earlier, marble importers in Rajasthan, too, had called for a ban on Turkish imports.
Marble traders in Udaipur, one of Asia’s largest markets, suspended imports from Turkey
Kapil Surana, president of Udaipur marble processors association, said 70% marble imports to India come from Turkey. “After the call for a boycott, business worth ₹3,000 crore has been impacted,” he said.
