Kashmiri apple growers have sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stopping the “illegal import” of apples from Iran that has hit their economy badly.

Iranian apple was being imported “illegally” via Afghanistan and entering the country through the Wagah route in Punjab and also in Gujarat, said Fayaz Ahmad, president of Asia’s second-largest fruit market in north Kashmir’s Sopore.

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Fayaz told The Statesman that the rate of domestic apple has crashed as a result of which the growers in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have suffered huge economic losses.

He said more than 3 crore apple boxes were lying unsold in Kashmir.

Fayaz said that the growers have urged the Prime Minister to immediately ban the import of Iranian apples.

Apple growers and buyers have been protesting against the import of Iranian apples.

The National Conference MPs have voiced concern over the swarming of tax-free import of Iranian apples into India and have asked the centre to safeguard the interests of local farmers from Kashmir.

Drawing the attention of the government towards the “havoc” played by the illegal dumping of Iranian apples in India, the party MPs Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi stated that the quantum of cheap Iranian apples entering India illegally is eating into the Kashmiri apple’s market share.

“Losses incurred due to the illegal import of Iranian apples into Indian markets has resulted in a dip in demand for local apple produce as a result of which over 3 Cr apple boxes are lying unsold in Kashmir division,” they said.

Illegal dumping of Iranian apples in the country, the NC MPs said is not only disastrous for small and marginal growers of Kashmir but also results in huge losses to the J&K’s economy.

“The situation, therefore, demands to regulate the illegal, and tax-free arrival of Iranian apples via Afghanistan and Dubai in the country in order to save our Horticulture Industry,” they added.

The MPs further argued that the tax-free entry of Iranian apples will have a cascading effect on the Kashmir economy.

“If growers do not get a good price for fruit outside the state mandis, they will stop using cold stores. Usually, orchardists store some part of their produce in cold storage facilities that have cropped up across the valley in the last few years in the hope of selling fruits in off-seasons to reap rich dividends. In wake of the unchecked dumping of Iranian markets into Indian markets, farmers would  refrain from storing their products and using the  cold  storage facilities,” said MPs