SRINAGAR — PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revisit the interim Indo-US trade deal and impose a 50 per cent import duty on apples to protect Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector.
Addressing reporters, Mufti said the trade deal would adversely affect farmers and fruit growers across the country, particularly apple and dry fruit growers in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The farmers of our country earlier had certain safeguards, but now those protections are gone. It will be difficult to assess the impact on Jammu and Kashmir, especially for our fruit and dry fruit growers,” she said.
Highlighting the importance of horticulture to the Union Territory’s economy, Mufti said the sector sustains lakhs of families and supports education and employment for youth.
“We lack industrialisation in J&K, and tourism depends on stability. With this deal, we will become economically vulnerable and unemployment may increase,” she said.
The former chief minister expressed concern that subsidised US apples would outcompete local produce. “Farmers there receive subsidies ranging from USD 30,000 to 40,000, while our growers receive minimal support and face high transportation and input costs including purchase fertilisers ourselves,” she said.
Referring to the post-2019 period following the abrogation of Article 370, Mufti said people of J&K had exercised restraint despite hardships and appealed to the prime minister to consider their situation.
“If livelihoods, employment opportunities and the education of our children are taken away, what options will remain for the youth dependent on horticulture?” she asked.
She also urged the UT government to strengthen crop insurance, increase controlled atmosphere (CA) storage facilities and address frequent highway closures that impact fruit transportation.
Mufti warned that the trade deal could have social as well as economic repercussions, asserting that the fruit industry remains the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy. — (PTI)