SRINAGAR: Amid fears of rising imports, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said govt will review protection for homegrown apples , while underlining the need to strike a balance between the interests of growers and the needs of consumers.
The minister's comment at a meeting with trade and industry here came amid demands from the US to lower tariffs on apples and other farm goods as part of the early tranche of a bilateral trade deal. India has expressed its reluctance to lower import duty on agricultural products while controlling the entry of genetically modified maize and soybean.
Goyal said govt has prescribed a minimum import price of Rs 50 a kg and there is also a 25% import duty, translating into a protection of around Rs 75 a kg and a selling price of at least Rs 125-150 a kg. With domestic prices linked to the cost of imported goods, Goyal argued that a sharp increase in protection will raise retail prices further, making them unattractive to consumers and hurting overall demand.
"To give the taste of Kashmir apples to the country, price has to be affordable. We need to balance between the interests of producers and consumers. We will see if MIP and other protection can be increased," he said.
With production not keeping pace with growing demand, India imports 4.5-5 lakh tonne of apple, with Turkiye being among the largest sources. The US is seeking to topple Turkiye by seeking preferential duty access.
Goyal told local businessmen govt was making efforts to step up exports of Indian goods through free trade agreements. While asserting that the Modi govt kept the country's interests paramount, he also said trade liberalisation cannot be a one-way street and as part of trade deals, both countries needed to open markets.
He said the new rail link from Kashmir will help move goods faster to the rest of the country and assured businesses that development work will be pushed by the Centre.
Noting that the Pahalgam terror attack was meant to hurt tourism and the economy in Kashmir, the minister said that business is returning to normal and tourist flow has also increased.
The minister's comment at a meeting with trade and industry here came amid demands from the US to lower tariffs on apples and other farm goods as part of the early tranche of a bilateral trade deal. India has expressed its reluctance to lower import duty on agricultural products while controlling the entry of genetically modified maize and soybean.
Goyal said govt has prescribed a minimum import price of Rs 50 a kg and there is also a 25% import duty, translating into a protection of around Rs 75 a kg and a selling price of at least Rs 125-150 a kg. With domestic prices linked to the cost of imported goods, Goyal argued that a sharp increase in protection will raise retail prices further, making them unattractive to consumers and hurting overall demand.
"To give the taste of Kashmir apples to the country, price has to be affordable. We need to balance between the interests of producers and consumers. We will see if MIP and other protection can be increased," he said.
With production not keeping pace with growing demand, India imports 4.5-5 lakh tonne of apple, with Turkiye being among the largest sources. The US is seeking to topple Turkiye by seeking preferential duty access.
Goyal told local businessmen govt was making efforts to step up exports of Indian goods through free trade agreements. While asserting that the Modi govt kept the country's interests paramount, he also said trade liberalisation cannot be a one-way street and as part of trade deals, both countries needed to open markets.
He said the new rail link from Kashmir will help move goods faster to the rest of the country and assured businesses that development work will be pushed by the Centre.
Noting that the Pahalgam terror attack was meant to hurt tourism and the economy in Kashmir, the minister said that business is returning to normal and tourist flow has also increased.
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