Shimla, May 21: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to double the import duty on apples from the current 50 per cent to discourage its import from Turkey and safeguard the interests of the state's fruit growers.

He urged that quantitative restrictions should also be imposed on imported apples, the government said on Wednesday.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh is known as the ‘apple bowl’ of the country and is famous for producing delicious varieties of the fruit. The apple is the prime cash crop of the state and generates an income of about Rs 4,500 crore annually.

The CM said about 10 lakh mandays are generated due to the apple crop, thereby providing direct and indirect employment to more than 2.50 lakh families.

CM Sukhu said that at present, apples are being imported from nearly 31 countries, and about 5.19 lakh metric tons were imported in 2024, an increase of 500 times in comparison to 1,100 metric tons imported in 1998.

He said the import share from Turkey increased in 2020 and recorded the highest hike with 1.29 lakh metric tons in 2023.

The CM said a substantial import of 1.17 lakh metric tons was made from Turkey in 2024, which is 23 per cent of the total apple import.

The Chief Minister said apples from Turkey have been flooding the Indian markets in recent years, which has posed a great threat to the apple growers of the country.

The influx of apples from Turkey has not only undermined the competitiveness of local apple producers but also jeopardised the livelihoods of small and marginal apple growers of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

CM Sukhu said he would also personally take up the issue of enhancing the import duty on apples being procured from Turkey with the Prime Minister.

(IANS)

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