Srinagar, Feb 10: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh has strongly reacted to the statements made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on international trade agreements and said that creating fear in the name of farmers is irresponsible and politically motivated. He said “twisting facts” only harms the trust of farmers.
In a statement, Chugh said that India’s annual apple consumption is around 26 lakh tonnes, while domestic production is approximately 21 lakh tonnes. This gap clearly means that India already imports more than 5 lakh tonnes of apples every year to meet Indian consumer demand.
He clarified that out of this existing import requirement, a quota of only 1 lakh tonnes has been allocated to the United States, that too with a Minimum Import Price of Rs 80 per kg along with an effective import duty of Rs 25 per kg. He said this pricing structure makes it extremely difficult for imported apples to undercut domestic produce, ensuring that Indian farmers’ interests remain fully protected.
Chugh added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Central Government is consistently strengthening the apple and horticulture sectors of J&K through technology, infrastructure, and global market access. He said BJP has never allowed nor it will allow in future a policy that compromises the income, identity, or future of orchardists in the Union Territory.
