The centre government has banned the import of apples from all countries barring Bhutan if its imported price is less than Rs 50 per kg.
In a notification, the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said that the imports are free if the price is above Rs 50 per kg.
The decision would surely save the growers from suffering losses and the apple economy would certainly sustain as apple from Iran and Turkey, reaching India via Afghanistan by under-invoicing, was breaking the backbone of local growers. It would be now surely checked.
Apple is a popular fruit that remains in demand throughout the year. Of late, the indigenous apple industry literally grapples to stay afloat and as such needs support to sustain various odds and in such a scenario the government’s intervention becomes crucial rather than the choice.
Apple growers in Kashmir face multiple issues including least demand coupled with the increase in the cost of boxes and other packaging material in contemporary times. Damage to the produce by halting the vehicles for days together last year as claimed by traders should in no manner be allowed to happen by the government being a welfare state.
Also Iranian apples were selling cheap even though they cannot match the quality of Kashmiri apples
J&K is the biggest producer of apples in this part of the globe, followed by Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It ensures the livelihoods of lakhs of people who directly or indirectly depend on the apple cultivation.
The cheaper Iranian variety had been flooding the Indian market of late and as a result local apple growers in Kashmir had been struggling to compete in view of rampant under-invoicing of the imports. Most of the orchardists had been demanding a blanket ban on these imports, while others were seeking the imposition of 100 per cent duty.
Recently, the administration held interactive session with entrepreneurs and investors and among others announced that it would take necessary steps to ensure that trucks carrying “perishable items” are able to move to their destinations smoothly without “undue hindrances” on Jammu-Srinagar highway.
The intervention by the administration is surely needed to help proper incomes of the J&K’s orchardists who have a lot to ponder and invest to keep the produce edible.
In the spring of 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic lockdown fruit growers couldn’t visit their orchards to spray pesticides. This, according to them, led to scab diseases affecting around 60 percent of the crop. The recent decisions are surely going to help local farmers and traders.
