Raising import duty to 100 per cent, restoration of the proper budget for Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) and the abolition of GST on farm equipment, inputs and packaging material are some of the major demands that apple growers will raise in the run up to the voting in the state on June 1. “The apple growers will seek commitment from the Lok Sabha candidates on these issues when they will approach us to support then,” said Sanjay Chauhan, co-convener of the Sanyukt Kisan Manch, an umbrella body for over 25 apple growing associations. The growers have been urging the government to raise the import duty on apple and stone fruits for a while now. As per the growers, cheaper apple, particularly from Iran and Turkey, has hit the domestic growers hard. “Unless the import duty is raised to 100 per cent, it will be difficult to keep apple cultivation sustainable,” said Harish Chauhan, convener of the Sanyukt Kisan Manch. Chauhan refuses to buy the argument that raising the import duty could be tough in view of the international trade agreements.
