{"id":89345,"date":"2026-02-23T11:07:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T05:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=89345"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T05:37:58","slug":"apple-traders-in-jk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/apple-traders-in-jk\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Traders in J&#038;K Are Worried About Recent Trade Deals"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Apple Traders Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple traders and political leaders in Jammu &amp; Kashmir have raised concerns over reduced import duties on U.S. and EU apples under recent trade agreements.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Background of the Trade Decisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The controversy arises from India\u2019s decision to reduce the basic customs duty on apples imported from the United States from 50% to 25%, while setting a Minimum Import Price (MIP) of Rs. 80 per kilogram.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the India-European Union trade deal, import duty on fresh fruits has been reduced to 20% under a <\/span><b>Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, 50,000 tonnes of apples per year will be allowed at the reduced rate, with the quota set to increase to 1,00,000 tonnes over the next 10 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Political leaders in J&amp;K, including the Chief Minister and opposition figures, have termed these decisions potentially harmful to the region\u2019s horticulture sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Importance of Apple Production in J&amp;K<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple cultivation is central to Jammu &amp; Kashmir\u2019s economy. According to the J&amp;K <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/economic-survey-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Economic Survey<\/strong><\/a> 2025-26:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple production constitutes 50% of total horticulture output in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The horticulture sector generates roughly Rs. 10,000 crore in revenue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Around 35 lakh individuals are directly or indirectly employed in the sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About seven lakh families depend on horticulture for livelihood.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, apple production in J&amp;K stood at 21 lakh metric tonnes. The region contributes more than 70% of India\u2019s total apple production, making it the backbone of the country\u2019s apple supply.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Structural Challenges Faced by J&amp;K Orchardists<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Small Landholdings<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One major disadvantage is fragmented landholdings. Orchardists in countries such as the U.S., New Zealand, and EU nations operate on average farms of over 50 hectares, while the average orchard size in J&amp;K is just 0.40 hectares.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lower Productivity<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Productivity is another challenge. India produces only 7-8 tonnes of apples per hectare, compared to 40-70 tonnes per hectare in countries such as the U.S., Iran, New Zealand, and China.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Higher productivity abroad is driven by:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mechanised farming<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advanced pruning and harvesting techniques<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI-based agricultural systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better climate conditions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Western countries have adopted AI-driven systems for pruning, pollination, harvesting, sorting, and bagging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Variety and Quality Gap<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Popular apple varieties such as Gala apples are well-established in Western markets. India introduced the Gala variety only recently, and it has not yet reached optimal quality in terms of yield, colour, taste, and shape.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This creates an uneven playing field in quality perception.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Impact on Cold Storage and Off-Season Prices<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kashmir has heavily invested in controlled-atmosphere cold storage infrastructure to stabilise prices during the off-season.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, 397.08 lakh metric tonnes of apples are stored in 92 cold storage units in J&amp;K.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With reduced import duties, fresh apples from countries like New Zealand may enter Indian markets at lower prices.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could directly undercut apples stored in cold facilities, destabilising off-season pricing. Traders warn that cheaper imports could:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduce the profitability of stored apples<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make cold storage investments economically unviable<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lead to distress sales by farmers\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concern is that price stability mechanisms built over the years could collapse if imports dominate the market.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Political and Policy Demands<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Political parties and trade bodies in J&amp;K are demanding safeguards.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have urged the Centre to re-evaluate the trade agreements and consider excluding apples from the deals. Key demands include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expansion of high-density apple cultivation (currently limited to 30,000 kanals out of 30 lakh kanals).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interest-free loans under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) to enhance competitiveness.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expansion of controlled-atmosphere storage infrastructure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Activation of dry port projects to improve logistics.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaders argue that without improvements in productivity and quality, local producers will struggle against better-quality imports.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Broader Economic and Policy Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue reflects a classic trade-off in international trade policy:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower tariffs benefit consumers through lower prices.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, domestic producers may face competitive pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The debate also highlights the need for technological upgradation, farm consolidation, and value-chain modernisation in Indian agriculture.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/why-are-apple-traders-in-jk-worried-explained\/article70664385.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apple traders in Jammu &#038; Kashmir raise concerns over reduced import duties under India\u2019s trade deals with the US and EU, fearing impact on domestic growers and prices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":89348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[5648,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-89345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-apple-traders","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89345"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89356,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89345\/revisions\/89356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}