While the apple growers in Kashmir are yet to recover from the huge losses they suffered this year due to untimely rains and hailstorms, a bad news for the apple growers of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh is the announcement of a cut of 20% import duty on the American apple by the Central Government.
Apple Industry is as vital for the economy of the people of Jammu & Kashmir as is the promotion of tourism and development of tourist spots. Though introduction of high density varieties of apple in Kashmir had not only increased it’s production but had also increases it’s demand in different fruit markets of the country but unfortunately the apple industry in Kashmir comes under stress due to weather vagaries, sale of spurious pesticides and unprecedented delays in transportation of apple from November till mid-January year after year. While the apple growers in Kashmir are yet to recover from the huge losses they suffered this year due to untimely rains and hailstorms, a bad news for the apple growers of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh is the announcement of a cut of 20% import duty on the American apple by the Central Government. The announcement has unfortunately triggered fears of uncertainty about the economic viability of the apple both in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Knowing that apple is the biggest source of livelihoods for the majority of the farmers in rural Kashmir, the decision to cut additional import duty on American apple deserves immediate reconsideration by the central Government not for the purposes of giving any political mileage to J&K’s political leaders making high pitch noises over the issue but just to accommodate and adjust the genuine concerns of J&K’s apple growers. While irrefutable fact is that the annual production of apple ranges between 20-25 lac metric tons in Jammu & Kashmir, a better marketing of the apple transported from Kashmir to different markets of the country would by all probabilities bring prosperity to millions of apple growers in Jammu & Kashmir.
“The reduced import duty on American Apple not only throws a big challenge to the economic viability of apple transported from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to top fruit markets in different states and union territories of the country but also reduces the scope of resisting the market pressures for apple growers of booth Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Situation demands that Central Government lends it’s unwavering support to apple growers of Kashmir for furthering the causes of the growth and expansion of the Kashmir’s apple industry and safeguarding it’s ages old heritage and also it’s survival”.
Forget about the marketing of apple in the international markets the popular Government’s of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state in yesteryears did never ever thought about it’s marketing in different markets of the country and it’s hassle free transportation to top fruit markets in different metropolitan cities of the country including the union capital Delhi. The reduced import duty on American Apple not only throws a big challenge to the economic viability of apple transported from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to top fruit markets in different states and union territories of the country but also reduces the scope of resisting the market pressures for apple growers of booth Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Situation demands that Central Government lends it’s unwavering support to apple growers of Kashmir for furthering the causes of the growth and expansion of the Kashmir’s apple industry and safeguarding it’s ages old heritage and also it’s survival.
