CHANDIGARH: Apple growers of Himachal Pradesh, who contribute around Rs 5,000 crore to the apple economy of the hill state, have demanded that India should stop importing Turkish apples.
They also demanded that the import tariff on Washington apples should not be decreased further.
The demand came following the discontent among Indians after Turkey expressed open support for Pakistan after 'Operation Sindoor'.
Talking to TNIE, Sanyukt Kisan Manch (SKM), Himachal Pradesh, convener Harish Chauhan said that they will be meeting Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on May 20 to discuss the issue.
They will be handing him a memorandum for Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the import of Turkish apples should be stopped by the Union government in India.
They have also demanded that the import of apples from Iran should not be allowed, and the import tariff on Washington apples should not be decreased further.
The Minimum Import Price (IMP) on apples, which were imported from various countries, should be Rs 100 per kilogram. Last year, the union government announced that it would levy Rs 50 per kg IMP on the import of apples from abroad, but that was not implemented.
"The apple season of Himachal Pradesh will start from mid-July, and it is expected that this year the apple crop will almost be the same as last year (2.18 crore boxes)," said Harish Chauhan.
He also said that the apple growers are badly impacted because of the import of apples from Turkey and Iran. "Per kg of apple from Turkey costs between Rs 60 to Rs 65, and that from Iran costs anywhere between Rs 38 to Rs 40 per kg."
"While our (Himachal Pradesh) cost of production is approximately Rs 40 per kg and we sell our best apple in the running market anywhere approximately between Rs 50 to Rs 60 per kg,’’ he said.
Chauhan further said that 1.10 metric tons of apples were imported from Turkey in 2022, and then it went up to 1.29 metric tons in 2023, but in 2024, the imports from Turkey fell to 1.11 lakh metric tons.
"While 79,000 metric tons of apples were imported from Iran in 2022 and 1.16 lakh MT in 2023, the imports fell to 1.07 lakh MT in 2024," he said, quoting data from DGCIS.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the Himalayan Apple Growers Society met Union Commerce and Industries Minister, Piyush Goyal. Citing losses to the apple farmers of the state due to cheap and subsidised imports, the delegation sought an immediate ban on the import of apples from Turkey.
A member of the delegation, Chetan Singh Bragta, who is also a BJP leader, said that demanding a ban on the import of apples from Turkey is not just a trade decision but a matter of national pride and protection of apple growers, sending a strong message to countries supporting terrorism.
The hoteliers of Manali have demanded the removal of Turkish firm Yüksel Proje from the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway survey, citing national security concerns and ecological threats to the fragile mountain region.
Talking to the media, Ved Ram Thakur, Chief Adviser to the Hotel Association of Manali, said that the public anger was growing against Turkey, and thus, the involvement of the Turkish company with several village panchayats also voiced opposition to the ongoing survey.
On the other hand, Lovely Professional University (LPU) a private university near Jalandhar in Punjab, has terminated all its Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with institutions in Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
The university has formally ended six academic collaborations, citing recent geopolitical developments that it considers to be against India’s national interest.
The development follows similar decisions taken by other prominent Indian universities. Earlier this week, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) suspended its MoU with Inonu University, citing national security considerations.