3 min readSrinagarFeb 11, 2026 03:22 PM IST
First published on: Feb 11, 2026 at 03:15 PM IST
The India-US trade deal has sparked concern among fruit growers in the Kashmir Valley, who fear that if American apples get easy access to the Indian market, it could deal a devastating blow to local produce.
“This (India-US deal) will spell doom for us,” says Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president of the Sopore Fruit Mandi, the largest fruit market in the Valley. “We simply can’t compete with the US growers. They receive government backing at every stage of the cultivation. They get substantial subsidies and cash transfers while we don’t even have access to crop insurance,” he says.
Malik says he believed this would have a major impact on the Valley’s economy. “When we send our apples to Bangladesh, we have to pay more than 100% tax. How can the government reduce axes for American apples? It will destroy the local industry and economy,” he says.
The apple industry is the mainstay and backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, especially that of the Kashmir Valley. The Valley produces 75% of the total apple production in the country. Official figures reveal that the Valley produces around 20 lakh metric tonnes of apples and peg the apple industry at Rs 10,000 crore. Officials say that around 50 lakh people are directly or indirectly involved in the industry.
The industry, however, is beset by many problems, especially with climate change taking a toll on yield and quality. “Spurious pesticides” and lack of crop insurance have also been causes of worry for the growers.
Muneeb, a fruit grower from north Kashmir’s Sopore, which is known as the Valley’s fruit bowl, says, “The Modi government has been emphasising ‘Make in India’ and ‘Go local’ to help Indian businesses. But when it comes to apples, no such policy exists.”
“There is no comparison between the US growers and Indian growers. The US government backs the growers at every stage, and here, we don’t get even basic support from the government,” he adds.
Over the last few years, the import of Iranian apples into the Indian market has already hit Indian apple growers, with market rates of the local produce from the Valley and Himachal Pradesh crashing.
Last year, Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal had assured growers in the Valley that he would take their concerns about apple imports to the Central government.
Malik says that their counterparts in Himachal Pradesh have called for a shutdown and protest on February 12 against the inclusion of agricultural produce, especially apples, in the India-US deal. “We are also thinking on the same lines,” he says.
The apple industry is the mainstay and backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, especially that of the Kashmir Valley. (Express Archives) 
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