Early foreign apple arrivals fuel local fears

Shopian, Sep 24: Amidst the cacophony of election rallies and roadshows, the harvesting season of different varieties of apples has begun in Kashmir.

However, the arrival of foreign apples particularly from Afghanistan and Iran again has become a cause of concern for both the local apple cultivators and the traders.

In south Kashmir’s Shopian district, the harvesting of Kullu delicious varieties started a week ago, while in Pulwama, Anantnag, and Kulgam districts the conventional varieties are also being harvested.

Peer Shabir Ahmad, a well-heeled orchardist and president of the Pesticides and Dealers Association, Shopian, told Greater Kashmir that the arrival of foreign apples is set to impact the prices.

“This year the produce from Iran and Afghanistan began arriving weeks earlier than the previous years. It is poised to impact the prices of domestic produce,” Ahmad said. Reiterating their demand of imposing heavy duty on foreign apples, the apple cultivators said that the government should initiate measures to save the Kashmiri apple industry.

President of Fruit Mandi Shopian, Muhammad Ashraf Wani said that the government should impose a 100 percent import duty on foreign apples to benefit domestic growers and traders.

“We hope the government takes some pro-farmer policies. The farmers have already suffered losses in the area due to hailstorms and climate change,” he said.

Wani said that the ongoing heatwave could also take a toll on the unharvested fruit.

Over the last two months, multiple villages in Shopian and Kulgam district experienced intense hailstorms and fast-blowing winds, spelling a doom for apple orchards. The officials have pegged the loss at 60 percent.

“This year's apple production is already low and a glut of produce from foreign countries could further depress prices,” Rouf Ahmad, a fruit grower, said.

President Jammu and Kashmir Chapter of the Apple Farmers' Federation of India (AFFI), Zahoor Ahmad Rather told Greater Kashmir that one of their key demands was 100 percent duty on the apples imported from Washington and other countries.

“Due to reduced import duty, our farmers are forced to sell their produce for a song,” Rather said.

He said that besides enhancing import duty, the government must roll out the market intervention scheme.