SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: For last two years, home-grown apples have been facing stiff competition from duty-free fruits being imported from Iran under India’s Free Trade Agreement. Large consignments of apples are also shipped to ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra, while some are routed to markets in north India.
The varieties produced in Himachal were sold in open market during the season, but about one lakh metric tonne of apples were kept in cold stores as well as controlled atmospheric stores in different parts of country including Chandigarh, Kundli & Sonepat in Haryana, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad and Vijayawada. But now, after hitting Valley apple produce, cheap apples from Iran are threatening Himachal apple.
“The cheap imports from Iran have killed market for Kashmiri apples and conventional cold-stored apples from Himachal as Iranian produce is bound to impact stored apples, making trade unviable and non-remunerative,” said a member of Progressive Growers’ Association (PGA). Growers from Himachal and Kashmir have been repeatedly urging the Government to raise the duty on Iranian apples. “It is mostly Red Delicious variety, grown in Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, that makes its way into India. Despite numerous representations to Centre by orchardists from Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, duty-free import of fruits has not been rolled back. Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur recently asked the Union Government to raise the duty on apple import.
Now, apple growers in India fear that sale of Iranian apples in local markets, by passing import duty; will have a huge impact on local apples. To discuss the issue, representatives of various fruit growers associations of Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Himachal held a meeting earlier last month in Srinagar, J&K. The main objective of the meeting was to prevent import of Iranian apples. These imported apples reach country via Afghanistan. As both Afghanistan and India, are members of South Asian Free Trade Zone (SAFTA), they do not impose duty on imports from each other. However, Iran is not part of SAFTA but apples from there reach India via Afghanistan, bypassing import duties and cess, complained farmers.
Chairperson of Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Dealers Union claimed that regular arrival of apples from Iran via Afghanistan would have a huge impact on the prices of local apples. He clarified that Indian apple farmers had no problem with import of Iranian apples, but there should be no tax evasion. The farmers also oppose the sale of this apple at main Azadpur fruit Mandi in Delhi. Imported fruits should ideally be sold in new Mandi. “Traders are just taking a receipt from new Mandi but are selling it in main market, which is a violation,” farmers alleged.
Apple farmers, led by Himachal Kisan Sabha, also took out a protest march in Shimla, the state capital, demanding MSP (Minimum Support Price) for apples. “In past few years, the cost of apple cultivation has increased considerably, leading to zero profit,” said Secretary of Sabha, adding that is the practice continues, cartons currently available for Rs 40 or Rs 60 will go up to Rs 100. Labour charges too have almost doubled to about Rs 500 or Rs 600 per day day. “We have sent a memorandum to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur highlighting all these problems and have demanded that apples be brought under MSP,” he asserted.