Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, to increase the import duty on foreign apples from 50% to 100% in a meeting last week.
He also requested a seasonal ban on apple imports between July and November — the state’s peak apple production months — for protecting the interests of about 2.5 lakh farmers engaged in apple cultivation. Apples constitute about 80% of the state’s total fruit production.
The demand came in the backdrop of the Centre’s decision to reduce the import duty on New Zealand’s apples, from the existing 50% to 25% for the April-August period, under India’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand last month.
J&K Minister for Rural Development and Horticulture, Javid Ahmad Dar, also raised the issue with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. However, the threat of increased competition is only the latest challenge to apple cultivation in India.
Lower duty on New Zealand apples
Under the FTA with New Zealand, India granted concessions on select agricultural products, including apples, kiwis and honey. Import duty on New Zealand apples was reduced from 50% to 25%.
The concession applies under a quota system, starting at 32,500 tonnes in the first year and expanding to 45,000 metric tonnes (MT) by the sixth year. Imports must meet a minimum import price (MIP) of $1.25 (Rs 113.6) per kg. Shipments exceeding the quota will continue to attract the 50% duty.
India’s apple production
The apple production economy in key states stands at around Rs 4,500 crore for Himachal Pradesh and Rs 12,000 crore for Jammu & Kashmir.
According to Vinay Singh, Director of the Department of Horticulture, Himachal Pradesh, India’s overall apple production stands at around 28 lakh metric tonnes (LMT). “Out of this, about 20 LMT is produced in Jammu & Kashmir, 5–6 LMT in Himachal Pradesh, while the remaining production comes from Uttarakhand and other states, including some north-eastern states where apple cultivation is still at a nascent stage. This is why apple growers in Himachal and J&K will be affected the most,” he said.
Concerns among apple farmers
Farmers have primarily objected to the overlap between the season for New Zealand apple imports and India’s off-season market.
In India, apples are harvested between July and November. During the off-season, apples stored in cold storage and Controlled Atmosphere (CA) facilities are sold. In New Zealand, apples are harvested between January/February and May, meaning they can supply fresh apples when Indian growers rely on stored produce.
Ajaz Ahmad Parra, Managing Director of the JK Krishi Vikas Cooperative Ltd, Srinagar, told The Indian Express, “Reduction in import duty means foreign apples will be available at cheaper rates than domestic apples. In Jammu & Kashmir, high-density varieties (where a larger number of plants can be grown in a particular area) like Gala start coming to the market in June, while varieties such as Royal Delicious arrive in September. Since the duty was reduced for April to August, it will directly affect domestic sales.”
Naresh Kashyap, a progressive apple orchardist from Shimla, said, “Lower import duty will increase the year-round supply of imported apples. This will hit domestic growers hardest during the off-season.” Tariz Rasool, a Kashmir-based farmer, echoed this view, stating that “The cheaper imports will depress the domestic apple prices and erode market share for local produce.”
Challenges beyond imports
Despite apples being the primary fruit crop in Himachal and J&K, production has dwindled in recent years due to climate change, erratic weather, reduced snowfall, prolonged dry spells and natural disasters such as floods, cloudbursts and landslides.
A direct consequence is an increase in plant diseases, including fire blight, apple scab, powdery mildew, sooty blotch and bitter rot. Less snow and higher average temperatures translate into water scarcity during the dry season, raising the risk of diseases.
In 2023, after devastating floods, Himachal Pradesh’s apple production fell to 4.84 LMT — nearly 28% lower than 2022’s 6.72 LMT. While production rose to 6.87 LMT in 2025 from 5.10 LMT in 2024, a large portion of the crop saw quality deterioration due to excessive rainfall and disasters. Nearly 1 LMT of apples failed to reach markets due to unacceptable size and quality.
Last year, the prolonged closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) due to landslides severely disrupted transportation during the peak harvest season, leaving hundreds of trucks stranded.
Farmers’ associations across Himachal Pradesh have thus demanded 100% import duty on foreign apples, a ban on imports during July-November, special category protection and subsidies for apple farming. Hari Chand, a farmer from Thanedar, near Kotgarh in Shimla district, said, “The Centre is opening competition with countries like New Zealand, where half the crop is insured and heavily subsidised. Here, apart from collection centres, apple growers get little real support.”
Rakesh Singha of the Himachal Pradesh Kisan Sabha said, “Instead of opening the market to foreign apples, the government should strengthen domestic growers through targeted support and productivity enhancement.”
Protesters demanding a raise in import duty on apples, near the state secretariat in Shimla, January 19. (Express photo) 
Share
