Kashmir is not only known for its scenic beauty, and fine handicrafts, but also delicious fruits – walnuts, almonds, cherries, peaches. Out of these, apple cultivation is the primary produce and mainstay of the economy.
Kashmiri apples are red and sleek skinned that are exceptional in terms of quality and aroma.
The crispy, sweet and juicy texture is a pleasure to the taste buds. The main conditions which impact temperate fruit-bearing trees are soil, climate and environment which are highly favourable and in the province of Kashmir.
Kashmir is the highest producer of fruit in India. While apples are grown in other states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh but Jammu and Kashmir overwhelms the Indian apple markets.
Nowadays, Kashmiri fruit growers and traders are worried as the market shows a sharp fall on the price graph due to imported Iranian apples. It is pertinent to mention here that Iranian apples closely resemble the Kashmiri apples in colour and texture, but not in taste and flavour. However,
when an unusual variety of apple consignment reaches the market, it attracts more buyers.
It is supposed that these Iranian apples are being imported first to Afghanistan and then these apples are being rebranded as Afghnistani apples. Since India and Afghanistan have a zero-import duty agreement, these apples are not taxed. When these imported duty-free apples enter the market, they are sold at lower prices than the indigenous quality apples.
Kashmiri horticulturists are worried about losing market share to the imported apple this year. Consequently, Kashmiri apple merchants are not able to sell their purchased apples at some profit so they are highly concerned about their future. Thousands of apple boxes have been stored in the cold stores. These apples are sold in March. If the situation does not improve they would suffer an unbearable huge loss that would directly impact the economy of J&K.These apple traders have taken big loans from banks at good interest rates.
In such tough times, horticulturists and apple merchants crave for the intervention of the UT administration so that a policy that would prefer the promotion of indigenous apples is framed at the country level. They wish that the government of India should come forward with a robust strategy to combat the declining rates of Kashmiri apples. Moreover, the fact of the illegal import of Iranian apples via Afghanistan should be probed and discouraged if found true.
Fruit growers and merchants should also be brought under insurance policy so that the devastating loss does not affect them.
It is understood that India is a signatory country of the World Trade Organisation and has to assist the import from other signatories as well. But there is an urgent need for a policy where the country’s indigenous fruits are preferred for trade rather than importing a huge lot from other countries.
The government of India and the UT administration should come forward to rescue the fruit growers and traders in Kashmir so that they can sustain the competition from other parts of the world. Iranian apples can affect the market price of Kashmiri apples but they can never replace it from the national as well as international market.
It is because Kashmiri apples are the tastiest and juiciest apples in the world. It implies that buyers are also cheated on the brand name of Kashmiri apples. There is a worn out line that sums up this writeup, all that glitters is not gold.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.