Shopian, Jun 28: Hundreds of apple growers from across south Kashmir gathered at a park in Tuckroo village of Shopian district on Sunday to discuss the mounting challenges confronting the horticulture sector, with speakers warning that any reduction in import duties on apples under a proposed India-US trade agreement could have devastating consequences for Kashmir’s economy.
The convention, organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), brought together farmers, horticulture activists and political leaders, who highlighted a range of issues affecting the farming community, including the absence of crop insurance, mounting Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan liabilities, climate change, the need for a Minimum Support Price (MSP), and safeguards against free trade agreements.
Addressing the gathering, AIKS national president RajanKshirsagar warned that a trade deal with the United States involving lower import duties on apples would “cripple the economic backbone of Kashmir”, where horticulture is the principal source of livelihood for millions.
“If the government signs such a trade deal without protecting domestic apple growers, farmers across the country will be forced to hit the streets,” Kshirsagar said.
Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, he alleged that nearly Rs 2 lakh crore had been “cornered by private companies” under the crop insurance scheme while farmers continued to suffer heavy losses without adequate compensation.
He further alleged that the Union government had neither accepted the safeguards sought by the Jammu and Kashmir government for the horticulture sector nor taken concrete measures to protect apple growers from the impact of cheap imports. He also demanded the implementation of the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission, including a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce.
CPI National Secretary Annie Raja said the party would raise the concerns of Jammu and Kashmir’s farmers in Parliament.
“We understand the pain and hardships of Kashmiri apple growers and other farmers. We will make every effort to build pressure on the government to address their issues,” Raja said, adding that farmers in the region were grappling with multiple challenges while receiving little support from the government.
AIKS Jammu and Kashmir president Ghulam Mohammad Bhat called for the immediate implementation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), saying these measures were essential to safeguard farmers from volatile market prices.
“Without MSP and MIS, farmers will continue to bear the brunt of a market increasingly controlled by large corporate players,” Bhat said.
He said climate change had emerged as one of the biggest threats to horticulture in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are witnessing erratic weather patterns that are severely affecting our crops. In the past few weeks alone, nearly a dozen hailstorms have caused extensive damage to apple orchards across the Valley,” he said.
Bhat also demanded a waiver of KCC loans and enhanced subsidies for anti-hail nets to help farmers cope with increasingly frequent weather-related disasters.
Several farmers who participated in the convention urged the government to take immediate steps to rescue the apple industry, describing it as the backbone of Kashmir’s rural economy.
AIKS state secretary Khursheed Ahmad said more than three million people in Jammu and Kashmir depend directly or indirectly on the apple industry for their livelihood.
“Any decision to reduce or remove import duties on apples will severely hurt domestic producers by allowing cheaper imported apples to undercut local prices,” Ahmad said. “The government must take concrete policy measures to protect the interests of apple growers and ensure the long-term sustainability of the horticulture sector.”
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