Srinagar: The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union (KVFGDU), the apex elected body representing fruit growers across the Valley, has lauded the Government of India’s decision to exclude apples from the list of zero-duty items under the recently concluded India–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Describing the move as a “critical and farsighted” step, the Union said it will help safeguard the livelihoods of lakhs of apple growers, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The growers feared that the inclusion of apples in the zero-tariff list could have led to an influx of cheap imports, posing a serious threat to India’s domestic horticulture sector.
“This is a much-needed relief,” said Bashir Ahmad Basheer, Chairman of the KVFGDU and President of The New Kashmir Fruit Association. “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India for this decision. Excluding apples from the tariff-free list under the India-UK FTA is a welcome and sensitive step that acknowledges the concerns of India’s fruit growers.”
The KVFGDU represents fruit associations from across Kashmir, including Srinagar, Sopore, Baramulla, Handwara, Kupwara, Charar-e-Sharief, Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag, Jablipora, Kulgam, Pacchhar, and Zazna Ganderbal.
Basheer emphasized that apple cultivation is the single largest employment generator in Jammu and Kashmir after government service. “Kashmir accounts for over 75% of India’s apple production. Any disruption to the sector can have severe socio-economic consequences,” he said.
The growers had earlier raised the issue with Union Commerce Minister Shri Piyush Goyal and Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan during their recent visit to Srinagar. Multiple representations were also made to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Ministry of Agriculture, urging that no international trade deal should jeopardize the survival of India’s fruit-growing communities.
“We had clearly stated that inclusion of apples in such trade agreements would destabilize an already distressed horticulture sector. Prices have been falling and input costs are rising. Many growers are already operating on wafer-thin margins,” Basheer added.
He also warned that while the India–UK deal has offered much-needed breathing space, the threat is far from over. “We now urge the Government of India to exercise similar caution in the upcoming India–United States Trade Deal, where the potential volume of apple imports is much higher. The American apple industry poses an even greater threat to Indian orchardists if duties are relaxed,” he said.
The union welcomed the government’s sensitivity to their concerns and hoped that the same farmer-centric approach would be maintained in all future trade negotiations. “It is vital that trade liberalization does not come at the cost of rural livelihoods,” Basheer concluded.
