Farmers in Himachal Pradesh call for a restriction on the import of apples from Turkey
Shimla: Young apple producers in Himachal Pradesh are calling for an urgent ban on the import of apples from China, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey in response to Turkey’s outspoken support for Pakistan during current tensions between India and its neighbor.
They demanded that apples from around 44 foreign nations, especially Turkey, be completely banned or at the very least subject to import taxes higher than 100%.
Ankit Bramta, an MBA-holding young apple producer from Jubbal in the Shimla district who was formerly a software engineer, told ANI that now is the ideal time to prevent Turkish apples from entering India. About five years ago, I made the transition from a corporate job to apple farming. Unlike other industries that artificial intelligence will soon disrupt, horticulture and agriculture have a future. AI could help, but human labor will always be necessary in this situation. I’d want to see more young people go back into farming. It is obvious that Turkey is not our friend, given its backing of Pakistan during the Kashmir dispute with India.
According to Ankit Bramta, Turkey alone supplies India with over 80 lakh apple boxes a year, out of a total trade volume of about USD 10 billion that includes the apple fruit output. Iran also contributes a comparable amount, particularly from October to April, when our high-altitude apple crop is in conflict. Price competition is fierce as a result.
“Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, and Uttarakhand are the three states that generate 12 crore of the 15 crore apple boxes that India needs annually. According to Bramta, 60% of the remaining 3 crore are imported from Turkey and Iran.
Farmers will immediately gain from higher local pricing if Turkey’s 30% import share is prohibited. Businesses would purchase more from farmers in India. Companies will purchase more from us, upgrade infrastructure, and give us farmers the profit if imports decline,” he said.
Additionally, producers said that these imports hurt Indian apple growers, particularly at a time when native supply is finding it difficult to compete with cheaper international fruit that is flooding Indian markets.
The educated young people who have quit corporate jobs to go back to farming are supporting the demand, which has accelerated across the apple belt of Shimla district.
In order to safeguard Indian farmers, Aman Dogra, a young apple grower from Narkanda who left the hospitality sector three years ago to return to his family’s orchards, said that import duties have to be raised.
“Today’s kids have more chances in apple growing. During recent conflicts, Turkey sided with Pakistan. Why should we continue to import from these nations? Apples from China, Turkey, and Iran are flooding our market. To ensure that Indian farmers are not undercut, the government should, at the absolute least, raise import taxes. Dogra said.
“The apple economy is the only source of income for almost 10 lakh households in Himachal. In the past, commission agents and local dealers purchased apples with little expertise and often without reasonable prices,” he said.
By prohibiting imports from China and Turkey, the young farmers are urging the Indian Prime Minister and the union government to act quickly.
Similar views were expressed by Akshay Thakur, a young orchardist from Rihana hamlet, which is close to Shimla, who said that India should attack now.
“This is the ideal moment to raise import taxes and implement a total embargo on goods from China and Turkey due to their positions during the Indo-Pak conflict. Our cost of manufacturing is around Rs 90 per kg; however, Turkish apples are sold in India for Rs 50 per kg. That’s too good for us to match,” he replied.
“A farmer spends all year cultivating apples. It affects everything when he is unsure about receiving payment. We can be confident of appropriate pricing and on-time payments when we work with firms. We thus urge Prime Minister Modi to impose an immediate embargo on Turkish imports. Now is the time to take action. Farmers, consumers, and the economy will all gain if this occurs,” he said.
Of the approximately 11 lakh hectares of arable land in Himachal Pradesh, 2 lakh hectares are planted with fruit orchards, and 1 lakh hectares are used exclusively for apple cultivation, accounting for half of the total area used for fruit production.
Every year, the state produces over 5.5 lakh metric tons of apples, which boosts the state economy by more than Rs5,500 crore.
Farmers contend that safeguarding this important economic sector is crucial for the larger goals of food security and rural development as well as for their own lives.
Now as more and more tech-savvy, educated young people like Ankit Bramta, Aman Dogra, and Akshay Thakur are speaking out, the argument for a ban on imported apples, especially from Turkey, is about more than simply economics; it’s also about the interests of the country, fair markets, and rural empowerment.