Shimla: The Narendra Modi government’s ban on the import of apples that cost less than Rs 50 per kg has come as a big boon for apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand who have been hit due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms damaging their crop.
The decision has been widely welcomed in the state by the apple growers as cheap apples coming from countries such as Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan were depressing prices in the Indian market and reducing the earnings of local orchardists.
“The cheap Iranian apple had hit the prospects of the local growers. As these are sold at low prices of as Rs 35-40 per kg, the local producers are unable to compete with them as our cost of production works out to around Rs 25-30 per kg,” said Harish Chauhan, convener of the Hill State Horticulture Forum.
“ This is the biggest relief which Prime Minister Narendra Modi could provide to lakhs of families engaged in apple cultivation but were not getting remunerative price for their produce because of imports from countries like Iran, UAE, US, Afghanistan, Turkey and Italy” says Chetan Bragta, an orchardist and former IT (cell) head of the BJP in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
He recalled that Modi, during 2014 Lok Sabha polls had promised that he would fully protect the interests of the fruit growers and orchardists in Himachal Pradesh.
Former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a historic decision in favour of the apple growers.
He said, “Now apples will not come to India from abroad except Bhutan at a minimum price of less than Rs 50 per kg, these orders of the central government are going to be of great benefit to the orchardists of the apple state of Himachal. “
“We wholeheartedly thank the central government and the entire leadership of the BJP for this historic decision” he said, explaining that now the apple coming from abroad will be available at a minimum of Rs 75 per kg.
Apples costing Rs 100 per kg for quotation will now be available in India for Rs 150 after import duty. This will help the country’s apple growers to sell their produce at a more remunerative price.
The apple economy in Himachal Pradesh is worth Rs 5,500 crore but due to climate change and global warming the entire weather cycle has got disrupted severely hitting the apple producers .
Adding to their problems is massive import of the apples to India from a dozen countries.
“The apples of Iran and Turkey which were coming through Afghanistan without paying import duty and under invoicing, were adversely impacting the Indian apple growers. This decision of the central government will put a stop to that,”says Prakash Thakur ,a former director of APEDA, a government of India body.
Sanyukt Kisan Manch—a joint body of the fruit growers, which had been demanding an increase in the import duty said the decision will provide the much-needed relief. The minimum import price should have been higher, but it’s a positive move nonetheless, says Sanjay Chauhan, co-convener of manch.
Chauhan is former mayor of Shimla and a CPM leader.
Another representative of the apple growers from Jammu and Kashmir Majid Aslam Wafai ,“ We have been agitating on this for a long time .Finally, the decision has been made and it will provide the much-needed support to the apple growers. The decision will push up the price of the Iranian apple, which means our apple too will fetch a better price,” says Wafai.
