Abohar: Kinnow farmers feel the heat as Bangladesh increases import duty

Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 11

The suspension of kinnow fruit supply to Bangladesh due to increased anti-dumping and import duties may also affect prices in the domestic market. The Kinnow Fruit Traders’ Association at a meeting held recently urged the Government of India to take up the issue with Bangladesh.

The Association vice president, Raza Abbas Naqvi, said Bangladesh had increased the anti-dumping duty and import duty on fruits and due to this, their traders have stopped placing orders for kinnow. Recently, a trader had dispatched a truck full of kinnows to Bangladesh, but suffered a loss of Rs 4 lakh. Since then, no orders have been received from Bangladesh.

Naqvi said, “The import duty on kinnow in Bangladesh has been increased from Rs 30 to Rs 62 per kg. During the past six months, Bangladesh has gradually increased the anti-dumping duty and import duty on the import of fruits and vegetables from India. Indian officials have held several meetings in the past six months with their Bangladesh counterparts, but to no avail. If the government does not resolve the matter soon, a large number of labourers and retail fruit vendors will also face losses.”

Reportedly, the Centre had offered a 50 per cent subsidy on the transportation cost for kinnow special goods train, but this, too, can’t help in resuming exports if Bangladesh does not reduce the import duty.

Ensure better facilities: Sunil Jakhar

• Ex-MP Sunil Jakhar said diversification in agriculture can be achieved by ensuring social and business security for growers and traders
• Jakhar said former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar had prepared a roadmap to develop Abohar and many farmers turned towards planting orchards
• The result is that 67 per cent of the kinnow production of Punjab is now contributed by the Abohar-Fazilka region
• The shelf life of kinnow fruit has been increased by setting up more than one hundred kinnow grading and waxing plants in Abohar sub-division
• The government should provide better facilities for marketing of kinnow fruit

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