Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar, (DD)The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union — the elected umbrella body representing all major fruit growers’ associations across the Valley — has welcomed the Government of India’s decision to exclude apples from the list of zero-duty items under the recently negotiated India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Terming it a “critical and farsighted decision,” the Union said the move will protect the interests of lakhs of apple growers in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand from the threat of low-cost imports.
“This is a significant step towards safeguarding the horticulture sector. Inclusion of apples in the zero-duty list could have flooded the Indian market with cheap imports, especially from the UK, thereby threatening local livelihoods,” the Union said in a statement.
The Valley, which accounts for over 75% of India’s total apple production, had been anxiously awaiting the final outcome of the FTA. Growers feared that zero-duty access to foreign apples would severely disrupt local markets already under stress from declining prices, rising input costs, and stiff competition from international suppliers like Washington (USA).
The Union said it had explicitly raised concerns with Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during their recent visit to Srinagar. “We urged that no trade agreement should undermine the survival of our fruit growers. We are glad that the Government has acted wisely and sensitively,” the statement added.
While expressing satisfaction over the exclusion of apples from the India-UK FTA, the Union cautioned that challenges remain. “We are not out of the woods yet. Similar protection is urgently required under the proposed India-US Trade Agreement, which poses an even greater threat given the scale of American apple exports.”
The Union reiterated that horticulture, especially apple cultivation, is the second-largest employment generator in Jammu and Kashmir after government service. “The fruit growers and dealers are already operating on thin margins. Cheap apple imports would have delivered a serious blow to an already struggling sector.”
The statement concluded by thanking the Prime Minister and concerned ministries for heeding the voices of apple growers and taking a step that provides much-needed relief to the orchardist community(DD)
