India-US trade deal: The apple math triggers anxiety among farmers in Kashmir, Himachal

Synopsis Apple growers in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh fear the proposed India-US trade deal could weaken price protection and trigger a surge in imports. The recent reduction of duties on apples imported from several of the 44 countries supplying India has raised concerns among domestic growers, a situation further exacerbated by the latest India-US trade agreement. The scenario emerges despite Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s February 7 assertion that the interim pact offers only a quota-based duty concession on US apples and includes safeguards to protect Indian farmers. Growers argue that while India has trade agreements with…