Price Crash In Iran’s Shadow Turns Apples Sour
Image credit X.com @SukhuSukhvinder
Apple Growers Lament Stiff Competition From Iranian Imports
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, October 14: With a gap of two months, apples have replaced mangoes in the fruit markets. In the heights of the Kashmir and Kinnaur valleys, farmers are busy harvesting apples.
The apple growers are no happier with the harvesting season. They lament that the market is fast slipping into the hands of the imports from Iran.
“I am getting apples harvested right now. It’s a harvest season here,” said a senior journalist from Srinagar, who also tends his apple orchard, almost 12-km away from his residence.
The journalist-turned-apple-grower is disappointed at lack of remunerative prices. “We are fetching the price of ₹450 per box only. Last year, the price was ₹500 per box,” he added.
Also Read: Shivraj begins farmers outreach with poll shadow in Haryana
The apple growers in the Kashmir valley sell prized fruit in a box of 20 kg per claims of the journalist-turned-apple-grower. The price per kg for apple translates to ₹25 per kg at the hands of the growers.
“The harvest is also lesser this year. Yet, the price has gone down. The Iranian apples are now more in supplies,” added the apple-grower on phone from Srinagar.
Wholesalers such as IndiaMart have listed Iranian apples at ₹800 per box on their websites. The Iranian apples come in 10-kg boxes. This, the Iranian apples are fetching price of ₹80, payable by the consumer.
The retail prices of the Kashmiri and Kinnaur apples in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) areas fetch prices in range of ₹180-300 a kg. The differential in price paid by consumer and grower’s selling point translates to multiples of seven to 12 times.
Iran accounted for 28 per cent of the total imports of apples by India in 2023-24. The share of imports of apples from Iran has steadily been rising. The Iranian apples come in different sizes and command patronage for high crunchiness.
Also Read: Bulls Storm Laboratories In Bear-Hugged Stock Market
The Progressive Farmers’ Association last month had called on Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chauhan. They demanded enhanced import duty on imports of apples from Iran.
Him Times in a report quoted president of Progressive Farmers’ Association Lokinder Bisht suspecting that the South Asian Free Agreement Treaty could be a possible suspect in rising volume of the Iranian apples in India. Bisht in meeting with Chauhan demanded that Iranian apples in the Indian markets shouldn’t sell prices lesser than ₹100 a kg. That can be done with the imposition of 50 per cent duty.
Recently, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu had met a delegation of apple growers in Shimla. He had assured remunerative prices for apples.
India had about nine years ago unveiled e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) with aims to directly connect farmers with producers. But the apple-growers are still pleading that the government assured price of ₹50 a kg for apples be fulfilled.
Join WhatsApp channel of The Raisina Hills
About The Author
