Centre’s clarification on import duty on US apples after Priyanka Gandhi’s jibe

The government on Tuesday issued a statement on its removal of additional duties on US apples, walnuts, and almonds, saying that this decision will not have any negative impact on domestic apple, walnut, and almond producers.

This clarification came after Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of helping apple growers in the US rather than apple farmers in the country after the government removed additional import duties on US apples.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is in Himachal Pradesh to review the extent of destruction caused by the floods, told news agency ANI that farmers in the state would be adversely affected by the central government’s move on tariff reduction on apples coming from the US.

“…This will make the import (of American apples) easy and they will be sold easily. Prices of procurement of apples in Shimla have been brought down by big industrialists. When the apple growers are suffering here, who should be helped? They, or the farmers in the US?” she asked.

GOVERNMENT’S CLARIFICATION

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in an official statement, said that the removal of additional duties will not be detrimental for domestic producers of apples, walnuts and almonds.

Rather, it will result in fair competition in the premium market segment of these products, thereby ensuring better quality at competitive prices for Indian consumers, the ministry said.

The 20 per cent additional duties on US apples, walnuts, and almonds were imposed in 2019 in retaliation to the US’s decision to increase tariffs on certain steel and aluminum products from India.The government said that after import duties were imposed on US apples, New Zealand had emerged as a prominent apple exporter to India.

The removal of additional duties will now ensure fair competition among the countries which are exporting these products to India, the government added.

To protect the Indian market from the inflow of low-quality apples from the US and other countries, the government said that it had imposed a minimum import price (MIP) of Rs 50 per kg for apples from all countries except Bhutan.