Srinagar: Fruit growers in Kashmir have submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, urging him to impress upon the Center to re-impose hundred percent import tariff on “Washington produce”.
The LG, growers said, gave patient hearing to their demands and assured that he will take up the matter with the Center and the UT administration at the earliest.
Addressing a press conference after meeting LG at the Raj Bhawan here, president Apple Farmers of J&K, Zahoor Ahmad said the delegation urged the LG to get the hundred percent import duty reinstated on the apples imported from the United States.
Besides, other issues, including the expansion of cold storage facilities in J&K, and a market intervention scheme based on the Himachal model, were also discussed at the meeting with the LG, he said.
“We presented a memorandum to LG during our meeting at the Raj Bhawan and urged him to get the excise duty which was lifted by the Center on American apples re-imposed. We are grateful to LG Manoj Sinha for assuring us that the Center and UT administration will be apprised about the issues apple growers are facing at the moment,” he added.
It may be in place to mention that on September 5, the Union Finance Ministry in an order had lifted additional duties on apples, almonds, chickpeas and walnuts coming in from the USA.
Fearing adverse impact on the local produce in the wake of Center’s decision to remove 20 percent retaliatory import duty on the American apples, Ahmad said the unfavourable weather conditions including hailstorm and continuous dry spell have placed Kashmir apples in the C category.
He suggested that in addition to limiting transportation costs, the government should also implement a C grade apple procurement policy in J&K based on the Himachal model.
“We also sought reopening of the shuttered processing facilities in order to maximize benefits for the local growers and ensure they can profitably sell their fruit in markets outside J&K. In addition, we encouraged the LG to make sure that outside laborers are permitted to work in Kashmir so as the farmers won’t have any difficulties harvesting,” added he.
