NEW DELHI: Asia’s largest fruit and vegetable market, Azadpur Mandi, has decided to halt trade of fruits, especially apples, and vegetables from Turkey.
The move comes in the wake of Turkey backing Pakistan and condemning India’s precision-strikes on terror camps in the neighbouring country and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan used Turkish drones during the military conflict with India.
Meeta Ram Kriplani, president of the Chamber of Association of Fruits and Vegetable traders at Azadpur, on Thursday said that no new orders of fruits and vegetables would be placed to Turkey.
“We (traders) at the Azadpur Mandi have decided to halt the trade of apples from Turkey. We have supported Turkey a lot in the past. As much as 1,16,000 tonnes of apples were imported in 2024, but it did not support India in the recent conflict against Pakistan,” he said.
The Azadpur Mandi has always given priority to Turkey, but the stand adopted by the country towards India has caused immense disappointment, he said. “Turkey’s behaviour has hurt us a lot. That’s why we have decided that we will not import apples or any other fruits or vegetables from Turkey,” he added.
Talking to reporters during her visit to the Azadpur Mandi, CM Rekha Gupta thanked the traders for boycotting Turkish apples. “If any nation is against India, the people of the country will boycott them. I thank the traders for boycotting the import,” she said.