Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu voiced concern over the Centre’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) policy, saying that reducing import duties on foreign apples would hurt local growers and disrupt the state’s fruit market.
Sukhu said the state government would send a delegation to hold discussions with the Union government on the issue.
“I will send a team to discuss the matter with the Union government,” Sukhu said, highlighting the impact of FTAs on Himachal’s apple economy.
He said apple growers across Himachal Pradesh are worried that the Central government’s decision to cut import duties under various FTAs would make foreign apples cheaper, leaving local farmers at a disadvantage. He added that he recently met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and other senior ministers, where the issue was discussed in detail.
Sukhu said the Central government has already formed a committee to study how the reduced import duty could affect domestic apple growers, and that representatives from the state government would also take part in the exercise.
Referring to imports from New Zealand, the Chief Minister said the proposal to bring down import duty to 25 per cent would lead to “huge losses” for Himachal’s orchardists. He also pointed to talks with European Union nations, where import duties on apples are being considered at around 20 per cent under evolving trade agreements.
“Such decisions will severely hurt our apple growers,” Sukhu said, adding that he has urged the Centre to send a joint team of officials and farmers to assess the impact on the ground.
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Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh has already suffered financial setbacks due to GST implementation, GST rationalisation and import duty-related policies. “Be it GST or import duty, Himachal has only incurred losses,” he said.
Emphasising the need for economic self-reliance, Sukhu said, “That is why I keep saying Himachal Pradesh must stand on its own feet, protect its resources and become self-reliant using its own assets.”
He further said growing centralisation of power at the national level has also negatively affected hill states like Himachal Pradesh. He said the state government would continue to strongly raise the concerns of apple growers and seek safeguards to protect their livelihoods under the FTA framework.
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