According to India’s Commerce Ministry, India's apple exports have risen by 82 per cent since 2014, while fruit imports increased marginally by 3.8 percent in the same time period.
India is a leading exporter of vegetables and fruits, owing to its extensive production of natural resources. As a result, promoting the horticulture sector and making sure it thrives is very important to achieving food efficiency and maintaining the export market.
As per the data by National Horticulture Board(NHB) Jammu and Kashmir (70.54 per cent share) Himachal Pradesh (26.22 per cent) and Uttarakhand (2.66 per cent) are the largest producers of apples in the year 2021-22. India stands at the fifth position in the largest producer of apples, with China topping the chart followed by the European Union and United States. Kashmir is the 11th largest producer of apples in the world.
Apple imports
During April-November 2021-22, the apples arrived from Iran (7.33 per cent) , the United Arab Emirates (3.29 per cent) and Afghanistan(0.43 per cent). Majority of the apples (82 per cent) are imported from Chile, New Zealand, Turkey, Italy, Brazil and the United States, according to Commerce Ministry data.
Chile accounts for a quarter of import of apples, while New Zealand (16.45 per cent), Turkey (12.43 per cent) and Italy (10.8 per cent) contribute to the import business.
Traders across Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are demanding to increase the import duty on the apples.
Source: businessworld.in