Baramulla/Shopian, Jan 3: As Kashmiri apple growers’ unsold stocks and debts mount, fruit traders in Sopore and Shopian-Aglar Fruit Markets held protests on Monday against the unbridled import of Iranian apples without the established import duties.
“We are suffering badly for the last few months as Iranian apples were illegally and freely sold in Indian markets”, farmers and traders said at one of Asia’s biggest fruit mandis here in the apple town Sopore in Kashmir.
While seeking a ban on untaxed and clandestinely imported Iranian apples in the country, the farmers and traders also staged a protest demonstration at Shopian Fruit Mandi, calling for immediate actions “to prevent apple growers from committing suicides”.
“The import of Iranian apples to india without any import duties has completely downgraded the fruit industry of Kashmir”, farmers said.
“For the last few months, this situation has badly affected our local fruit industry as the apples which were being sold at reasonable prices are now being sold at less price. This has left all the fruit traders here worried, “the protesters told news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
“The apple trade in Kashmir is a biggest trade on which the economy of Kashmir sustains, and if it is be downgraded like this the business infrastructure of Kashmir will also crumple”, the protesters said.
Protesters in Sopore and Shopian said that while the apple industry was already suffering for the last fews years due to the Covid-19 lockdown and uncertainty, importing Iranian apples in huge quantities and without import duties has put the apple industry on the verge of collapse.
Protesters in Shopian told Ziraat Times that while on the one hand the government departments were encouraging farmers to increase production and productivity, it is paying no attention to this marketing crisis.
“In this situation why should we increase production if we do not get the buyers? I can tell you with all sense of responsibility that if this situation doesn’t change many growers could contemplate committing suicide because they have taken loans from banks and are indebted to pesticide and fertiliser dealers”, a grower told Ziraat Times.
“The apples coming from Iran enter market without tax while the same time the local local fruit growers pay their taxes regularly,” Mudasir Ahmad, a local apple trader said, adding that the government should ban it very soon.
Mustafa Jameel another trader said that his fruit business is getting worse with each passing day due to Iranian apple dumping in Indian markets.
I had dispatched many apple trucks to Delhi but has got very meager price in return, he said.
The traders also appealed the central government and LG Administration in J&K to ban import of Iranian apples so that the local apple trade won’t suffer any further.
— (With inputs from KNO and Ziraat Times correspondent Aamir Shafi)
