Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 29 (ANI): Senior Congress leader, AICC spokesperson and MLA of Theog constitutency, Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Monday warned that the proposed reduction in import duty on apples from New Zealand under a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could deal a severe blow to the apple economy of Himachal Pradesh and jeopardise the livelihoods of lakhs of growers.

Rathore met with the State Governor, Shiv Pratap Shukla, and, through him, submitted an urgent letter on the FTA matter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The letter addressed to PM Modi had the subject, 'Urgent Representation on the Adverse Impact of Proposed Reduction in Import Duty on New Zealand Apples from 50% to 25% - Request for Restoration of Protective Tariffs.'

In the letter, Rathore said the proposed reduction in import duty on New Zealand apples from 50 per cent to 25 per cent, effective 2026-27, would further flood Indian markets with cheap imports and push already distressed apple growers into a more profound crisis.

'The earlier reduction of import duty on apples has already resulted in a sharp surge in imports from countries such as China, Turkey, the USA, Iran, New Zealand, and others. This has flooded Indian markets with cheaper imported apples, leading to a steep decline in domestic prices and causing severe financial distress to apple growers, particularly in Himachal Pradesh,' he said.

He noted that apple growers in Himachal Pradesh are already facing the impacts of climate change, rising input costs, labour shortages, and shrinking margins.

'The proposed further reduction of import duty to 25% will worsen this situation. It is likely to cause a significant loss of market share for Indian apples and further depress prices, pushing growers already struggling with climate change, induced uncertainties, rising input costs, labour shortages, and shrinking margins into deeper economic distress.' Rathore warned.

Highlighting the role of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage facilities, Rathore said farmers had invested heavily in CA stores following encouragement and subsidies from the Government of India to stabilise prices and extend the marketing window for domestic apples. 'If imported apples continue to enter Indian markets year-round at lower prices, these CA facilities will become economically unviable, causing irreversible losses to farmers,' he said.

Rathore emphasised that apple cultivation is the backbone of Himachal Pradesh's rural economy, contributing nearly Rs 5,500 crore annually and supporting over 1.5 lakh families, most of them small and marginal farmers. The state produces around 6.5 lakh metric tonnes of apples every year, accounting for about 25 per cent of India's total apple output.

He also cautioned that the FTA with New Zealand could set a precedent for similar tariff concessions to other major apple-exporting countries such as the US, Chile and Italy. 'If such agreements are extended to other countries, particularly the US, the cumulative impact could completely saturate the Indian market and lead to the collapse of the domestic apple industry,' Rathore said.

Raising concerns over diversification efforts, Rathore said the proposed elimination of import duty on kiwi fruit--from 33 per cent to zero--would adversely affect Himachal farmers who have recently shifted to kiwi cultivation in response to changing agro-climatic conditions.

Citing official data, Rathore noted that apple imports have increased by nearly 300 per cent, with India importing around three lakh metric tonnes of apples in 2024-25 alone, capturing nearly 20-25 per cent of the domestic market. 'A significant share of these imports comes from China, often under lax inspection norms,' he added.

In his representation, Rathore urged the Centre to restore import duty on apples to 100 per cent as a protective measure for domestic growers and to reconsider the proposed elimination of duty on kiwi fruit under the FTA.

'The farmers of Himachal Pradesh look up to you (Prime Minister) at this critical juncture. We sincerely hope that timely intervention will prevent irreversible damage to the horticultural economy of the state and protect the interests of Indian farmers.' Rathore said. (ANI)