Apple - Photo: Diary Times
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About 2 crore boxes of apples have been imported into India from 30 countries from January 2023 to November 2023. Due to import of huge quantity of apples, the demand for Himachali apples kept in CA stores has continuously decreased. Due to this, Himachali gardeners are facing losses worth crores. Maximum apple is imported from Iran, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Chile, USA and Brazil. Apples from Iran are reaching India illegally, due to which the prices of Himachali apples are low. Due to SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area), Iranian apples are reaching India via Afghanistan without paying duty. It is cheap because of its low cost. About one crore boxes of apples from the gardeners of Himachal are in CA stores. The gardeners of Himachal are afraid of losses due to cheap apples being imported in large quantities from abroad.
Every year a large quantity of apples are imported from foreign countries. Foreign countries get a big market in India for the consumption of apples. The gardeners of Himachal demand that there should be a ban on the import of foreign apples until the local apple is completely exhausted. The base rate on apple import should be increased from Rs 50 to Rs 100 per kg and the import duty on apples from foreign countries should be made 100 percent, only then the local apple growers will get satisfactory prices for the crop. Himachal Government has also sent a demand to the Central Government to increase the import duty on foreign apples to 100 percent. Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi says that a demand has been made from the Central Government to increase the import duty and to raise the issue of apple growers prominently in WTO.
We have written a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal requesting to increase the base rate of apples being imported from foreign countries to Rs 100 per kg and the import duty to 100 percent. There has also been a demand to raise the demands of apple growers prominently in WTO. Apple growers of Himachal, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir are facing losses due to apples arriving from abroad.
-Harish Chauhan, President, Apple, Vegetable and Flower Producers Association
So many foreign apples reached India –
Turkey -1,05,14,501
Iran – 45,31,650
Italy – 21,07656
Afghanistan -12,64,711
Chile – 7,94,063
New Zealand – 7,29,581
Brazil – 6,82,668
USA – 1,75,773 (Lakh Box)
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