US apples lose access to India’s markets. Advantage Kashmir apples?

Srinagar: In a new development, American (US) apples have effectively lost access to the Indian market after new import regulations, requiring certain fruit and vegetable imports to be certified as non-GMO, went into effect in India recently.

Export of some genetically-modified fruits and vegetables are barred in India, considering a consensus among the scientific community that such fruits and vegetables may cause health complications among human consumers.

Pertinently, Kashmir does not produce or market any genetically-modified fruits, mainly apples.

Imports are down

Meanwhile, Washington apple exports to India were down by more than 64 per cent in the season to the end of February 2021, with just 381,614 cartons shipped compared with 1.07m cartons in 2019/20, a leading US exporter of apples to India told Ziraat Times.

India’s new GMO law

The new law, which came into force on 1 March following a three-month postponement, means that a selection of fresh produce imports to India – including apples, melons, plums, peppers, and tomatoes – must now carry proof they have not been genetically modified.

Under the new law enacted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), every consignment of the listed products (24 in total) must carry ‘a non-GM origin cum GM-free certificate’ issued by an authorised national or regional government authority. The law applies to imports of apples and all of the other listed products that are shipped on, or after, 1 March.

Advantage Kashmir and Himachal apples?

In the backdrop of this situation, apple traders in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh see a window of opportunity to fill in the supply demand created by this situation.

“While this may be temporary and American apples might soon be back in India after GMO-clearance, this does provide an opportunity to apple growers of Kashmir and Himachal fill in the gap”, Showkat Ahmed, a fruit trader from Kulgam, told Ziraat Times.

Some apple industry players also see this situation raising the prices for Kashmir apples which had seen a demand slump due to large-scale exports of Iran-origin apples through the Afghanistan-Wagah border trade corridor.

Why American apples don’t carry non-GMO certification?

When it comes to US-origin apples, while a number of key apple-supplying nations have reached arrangements with their relevant phytosanitary authorities to provide non-GMO documentation, the US Department of Agriculture is not issuing certificates to their exporters.

“As of today, the Indian market is technically closed unless the non-GMO certificate is supplied for each shipment,” Mark Powers, president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, told Fruitnet. “At present, the national authority, the US Department of Agriculture, does not and is not issuing such certificates…it is not clear that it ever will.”

“In 2017, India was our second-largest export market, at present it is our 12th largest market and in danger of falling further down the list of priority countries”, Mr Powers said.

Pertinently, India imposes a 70 per cent tariff on US apples, which compares with a 50 per cent duty on all other apple import origins.

US exporters have questioned this latest move.

“More than 90 per cent of US apple exports to India are of the Red Delicious variety. There are no genetically modified Red Delicious apples in existence nor are there any other whole fresh genetically modified apples that are commercially traded. India has created a solution for a problem that does not exist”, Mr Powers was quoted by Fruitnet.