AFFI convener and Jammu and Kashmir MLA MY Tarigami and co-convenor Rakesh Singha condemned the “complete abolition of import duties” on Washington apples from 50% to zero under the India-US Interim Bilateral Trade Agreement. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Apple farmers from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, led by the Apple Farmers’ Federation of India (AFFI), have decided to protest in front of Parliament during the second round of the budget session in March, demanding the scrapping of the bilateral trade agreement between India and the US.
AFFI convener and Jammu and Kashmir MLA MY Tarigami and co-convenor Rakesh Singha condemned the “complete abolition of import duties” on Washington apples from 50% to zero under the India-US Interim Bilateral Trade Agreement. “This trade deal, which is clearly an unequal treaty, is a major abdication of India’s economic interests by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will prove to be a death knell for domestically produced apples. In protest against this move, AFFI will mobilize apple growers from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and stage a demonstration outside Parliament in March 2026.
AFFI said allowing US apples with minimal import duties doesn’t just add another competitor to the domestic fruit market. “The US federal government is heavily subsidizing the American farmer, including the orchardist. In 2026, the payout to farmers there is estimated to be ₹ 4 lakh crore, a per capita subsidy of more than ₹ 21 crore per farmer in the US,” they said, adding that India’s fast-paced apple farmers live in a precarious state. heavily supported by wealthy American farmers and agribusinesses.
“Our imports have climbed from 0.2 lakh metric tonnes (MT) to 6 lakh MT since 2000, from 1.7% of domestic production to 22.5% since 2000. At the same time, our exports – at just 21,700 MT – lag behind even the figures of 2004-05, when 23 apples were exported from New Zealand to India. 25%, while those from the European Union have been reduced to 20%. We agree that there is a gap of several million metric tons between domestic production and consumption, but instead of supporting our growers to invest in their farms and improve their productivity, it trusts foreign farmers to cover the gap,” they added.
Published – 27 Feb 2026 22:10 IST
