H.P. growers worry about cheaper apples following the India-U.S. trade deal.

• Congress MLA, Kuldeep Singh Rathore, urges political parties to resist foreign pressure and protect the interests of apple growers in Himachal.
  • Rathore suggests that all seven MPs from the hill State should raise these concerns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
  • Rathore cites recent trade talks indicating the US is aggressively pushing for tariff reductions on American apples, particularly the Red Delicious variety.
  • Rathore argues that a similar reduction in apple duties would devastate Himachal’s apple industry, which lacks the scale and subsidies of the U.S.
  • Apples are the backbone of the hill State’s economy, supporting over 1.5 lakh families, primarily small and marginal farmers.
  • Ravinder Chauhan, president of the Apple Growers Association of India, warns that a reduction in India’s current import duty on apples would be detrimental.