Kashmiri gardeners request Indian government to stop apple imports from Iran

Kashmiri orchardists have requested the Indian government to stop importing apples from Iran.

India and Iraq are the largest export markets for Iranian apples.

Nikkei Asia News Agency reported that the Jammu and Kashmir region is a hub for apple production with an annual revenue of $1.3 billion and 3.3 million people earning a living from this.

With an annual production of nearly two million tons of apples, this region accounts for 75% of the total production of this fruit in India.

However, Kashmiri orchardists say the price of their apples has halved compared to last year, as customers are more interested in imported apples.

Vijay Talra, vice-president of the Kashmir Apple Traders Association, said that Iranian apples are juicy and colorful and are offered at low prices in the market, which is detrimental to local gardeners.

Recently, many reports have been published in Iranian media about problems with apple exports.

Last month, the amount of apple stocks in warehouses and cold storages in West Azerbaijan Province, the hub of Iranian apple production, was estimated at 700,000 tons, of which 1,000 to 1,500 tons are exported daily, and the majority of these products are at risk of spoiling and destruction.

The report says that Iranian apples are illegally being shipped to India under the name of Afghan apples to evade customs duties, because Afghanistan and India are members of the South Asian Free Trade Area, but Iran is not a member of this group.

Source: Radio Farda