The Sanyukt Kisan Manch (SKM) today apprised the Supreme Court appointed five-member high powered committee for talks with agitating farmers of problems being faced by apple growers in Panchkula today.
The growers highlighted several problems that had adversely affected apple cultivation.
One of the major issues flagged by the growers was the cheap imported apple finding its way into Indian markets and hurting the interests of domestic growers. The growers suggested that import policy needed to be reviewed as it favoured foreign farmers and importers instead of the domestic growers.
The growers said the import policy for apple could be aligned with that of tea or spices, which has higher import duty or minimum import price.
The import duty on apple is 50 per cent and the minimum import price is Rs 50 per kg. The growers further suggested that the APMC-controlled markets were for Indian farmers and no foreign farmers’ produce should be sold there.
