Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday raised concerns of apple growers with the Central government and sought immediate intervention to stop the dumping of foreign apples, saying it was damaging the state’s economy.
During a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sukhu also flagged the issue of the state’s weak financial position and urged the Centre to create a separate ‘Green Fund’ for hill states with an annual allocation of Rs 50,000 crore.
Calling on Sitharaman in New Delhi, the chief minister said the demand was based on the ecological services provided by hill states, which act as green frontiers and the “lungs” of North India, according to an official statement.
He also sought the Centre’s assistance to strengthen Himachal Pradesh’s overall financial condition.
Highlighting the interests of over 2.5 lakh apple growers, Sukhu demanded that apples be placed under a ‘special category’ to protect domestic producers from unfair international competition.
Sukhu called for an immediate ban on apple imports during Himachal’s peak production season from July to November and sought a hike in import duty to 100 per cent during off-season months to curb foreign dumping.
He also requested the imposition of quantitative restrictions on apple imports. Sukhu informed the Union Minister that a delegation of progressive orchardists from the state had met him earlier this week and expressed concern over the reduction in import duty on apples from New Zealand, which they said had harmed local growers.
He said Himachal Pradesh, known as the ‘Apple State of India,’ earns around Rs 4,500 crore annually from apple production, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the state’s total fruit output.
"This is not just about fruit, it is about the livelihood and sustenance of 2.5 lakh families and the generation of 10 lakh man-days of employment," he said.
"Our small and marginal farmers are being pushed to the brink by trade policies that favour foreign corporations over Indian soil," the chief minister added.
Expressing concern over the Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand, Sukhu said apple imports had increased nearly 2.5 times over the past decade. He noted that the 25 per cent duty exemption on New Zealand apples between April and August was crashing prices of local apples stored in controlled atmosphere and cold storage facilities, destroying the off-season trade for Himachal growers.
He stressed that urgent steps were needed to safeguard the livelihood of small and marginal farmers.
Sukhu also requested the Union Finance Minister to allow the state an additional borrowing limit of two per cent of GSDP, stating that a sharp reduction in the Revenue Deficit Grant in recent years had severely restricted Himachal Pradesh’s fiscal space.
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