India's apple exports up 82% since 2014: Commerce ministry data

New Delhi, Jan 17: India’s apple exports have jumped 82 percent since 2014, while fruit imports increased marginally by 3.8 per cent during the same time, according to the commerce ministry data.

An increase in exports is helping the growers in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to further push the outbound shipments in different parts of the world.

In value terms, exports rose to USD 14.45 million in 2020-21 from USD 8.6 million in 2014-15, the data showed.

Apple exports during April-November this fiscal stood at USD 12.25 million, indicating healthy growth over the years.

On the other hand, imports have increased 3.8 percent to USD 240 million in 2020-21 from USD 230.8 million in 2014-15.

About 82 percent of apples imported into India are from Chile, New Zealand, Turkey, Italy, Brazil, and the US.

Chile accounted for a quarter of India’s imports. It was followed by New Zealand (16.45 percent), Turkey (12.43 percent), and Italy (10.8 percent).

Small suppliers of apples to India include Iran (7.73 percent), the UAE (3.29 percent), and Afghanistan (0.43 percent) during April-November 2021-22.

The government is taking steps to push apple exports further.