Import duty cut betrayal of apple growers: Minister

Criticising the Centre’s apple import policies, Education Minister Rohit Thakur today said that the decisions taken by the Centre reflect a clear anti-farmer and anti-horticulture mindset, pushing Himachal’s apple growers towards serious economic uncertainty.

Reacting to the reduction of import duty on apples imported from New Zealand from 50 per cent to 25 per cent under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Thakur said the decision amounted to a betrayal of apple orchardists.

“Apple cultivation is the backbone of Himachal’s economy and any policy that weakens domestic growers is a direct attack on the livelihood of lakhs of families dependent on horticulture,” he said. The minister’s Assembly constituency, Jubbal-Kotkhai, is one of the largest apple-producing belts in the state.

Warning of wider consequences, Thakur said the FTA with New Zealand is the beginning of reduction in import duties for other apple-exporting countries, particularly the United States. “Once concessions are granted to one country, others will demand the same, placing Indian growers at a severe disadvantage,” he said.

Calling the April-August duty concession window misleading, he said apple harvesting in Himachal begins from mid-June and peaks in August. Allowing imported apples during this critical period would depress market prices, harm growers and adversely affect those who have invested heavily in high-density plantations, improved varieties and modern cold storage infrastructure.