APPLE Growers of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have red-flagged their concerns  seeking an immediate ban or increase of import duties on the import of  disease-infested apples from Iran and Middle East.   

Because of the unbridled import of  infested foreign apple, the prices of the high-quality domestic apple have dropped drastically in local markets.  Iranian  apples will continue to flood Mumbai and Delhi markets till March. As a result, local apple is now slowly and surely perishing in stores in the country as they are not getting even cost of production that comes to about Rs 40- Rs 60 per kg for high grade apple, the farmers resented.

Not only this, apple farmers fear that they may face outbreak of coddling moth, fire blight and hundreds of fungal diseases that infest Iranian apple. These cataclysmic contagious diseases threaten to destroy the pear and apple orchards in a single growing season.  “The symptoms of coddling moth have been detected in fruit in Bihar and West Bengal markets in the 2021 apple season”, say the growers.   

in view of these danger signs, Himalayan Apple Growers Society (HAGS) and Progressive Growers Association (PGA) and Greater Kashmir valley Apple Growers Association have shot off the letters to state and Central governments, demanding ban on infected Iranian and Middle east apple, which have been arriving in the markets in Delhi and other places under different hawala or free trade channels.

Not only the farmers, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur  had also urged the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Trade and Commerce Minister Piyush Goel to  increase the  import duties to 100 per cent on import of apple. It is a matter of livelihoods of lakhs of families who depend entirely on apple economy  that now spans Rs 5000 crore industry in Himachal, he had said.  

But all pleas from farmers and CM so far have fallen on deaf ears of Union Government as it has yet to take a call on fate of apple import from the Iran and Turkey. The government had banned Kiwi import from Iran last year. But huge quantities of imported apple from Iran, Turkey and middle east continue to be dumped in the Indian markets, the growers said.

President, HAGS, Jubbal, Vineet Kumar Sarjolta said they have written letters to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur,  Union  Trade and Commerce Minister Piyush Goel and state government horticulture department on January 12 and apprised them about  the damage and danger that the imported apple from Iran, Turkey and other countries have done to domestic apple markets  of Himachal and  Kashmir valley.

Sarjolta said the import of apple from Iran and middle east should be banned or the government should increase import duties  so that state growers can be saved from the losses unleashed by the dumping of cheap and diseased Iranian and middle east apples.  “But we have not received any response from the government on this so far”, he rued.

Narrating the same story, President, PGA,  Lokinder Bisht said  they have been writing to  the Union Ministry  seeking a ban on Iranian apple and Kiwi as these are infested with  fungal and other diseases. Russia has long banned infected Iranian apple due to the phytosanitary concerns, he said.  

Besides this, the infested imported apple pose danger not only to orchards of the state farmers, but also to the consumers who are forced to eat the diseased apple because of dirt cheap rates, while local healthy apples are being sold at lower prices that is not enough to recover the cost of production, Bisht said.   

The apple growers say the unbridled apple import has not only hurt the domestic markets badly, but the imported apple threaten outbreak of cataclysmic pests like coddling moth and fire blight.

“There is neither any pesticides available to control these dangerous pests nor can these be controlled once they entre the apple orchards, warned the growers.  

What to talk about states of Himachal and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and parts of Northeast, which grow apple in India, which don’t have any robust pest control regime in place for fungal and viral infections. “Even Europe and the US, which employ rigorous pest management system,  continue  to struggle to control the coddling moth and fire blight over the decades”, cautioned the  worried growers.  

Sarjolta said the government should raise duties on import of apple from Iran on the lines of Chinese apples. The infected apples pose health hazards to the consumers, who have been complaining of nausea and headaches after eating Iranian apple. It needs an immediate investigation, he said.

Raising health concern,  HAGS demands that the Food, Safety and Standard Authority of India should also check the relevant permissible pesticide residue under the Indian law in these apple consignments. Second, the apple shipments are coming in plastic crates, that cannot be recycled, and are adding to plastic menace in the country, HAGS reiterates.  

Central government is also a loser. The apple from Middle East is entering the country without tax through Afghanistan route or under the free trade agreement. “The quarantine protocol for the shipments could be extended by another fortnight  as there is a feeling amongst the large community that the pesticide infected grades are being shipped”, HAGS say.  

Expressing the same resentment of apple growers over the import of huge quantities of Iranian apple in India, President of All Kashmir valley apple growers association, Mohmmad Ashraf in Shopian apple town said : "In Kashmir more than 1.5 crore cartons of apple is lying in stores, while thousands of apple cartons remain unsold in homes of apple farmers.  The prices have come down so sharply that the farmers and CAS store owners face complete ruination of their economy”. 

Ashraf said they had written letters to the Government of India seeking an immediate ban on import of Iranian apple which is entering into markets through hawala channel from Wagah border under the name of Afghanistan. “The farmers are suffering high losses as the prices have fallen by Rs 400 per carton”, he said.

The infected Iranian apple is being sold at dirt cheap rates of Rs 30 to Rs 40 kg that has made prices of local disease free apple unprofitable for the farmers, who are not been able to recover the cost of production that is as high as Rs 60 per kg in store", he rued.  

Ashraf said the government is losing tax and consumers face health hazards as “Iranian apple is infested with over 350 fungal diseases". If these diseases enter orchards, they will ruin the entire apple economy of lakhs of families in the region”, he warned.

(Kuldeep Chauhan is Editor, HimbuMail)