States » NorthPosted at: Jan 13 2026 7:15PM


HP: Apple growers urge CM to unite Himalayan states against FTAs

Shimla, Jan 13 (UNI) Apple growers and farmers’ organisations from Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday cautioned that the free trade agreements (FTAs) being pursued by the BJP-led Central Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would severely hurt domestic horticulture, particularly apple cultivation, and threaten the livelihoods of nearly 1.5 million farming families in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand.
Leaders of various organisations, including the Himachal Kisan Sabha, Sanyukt Kisan Manch, Himachal Apple Growers Association, Progressive Growers Association and Plum Growers Association, urged the Chief Minister to take a firm stand against the proposed reduction of import tariffs on apples and other agricultural products.
The organisations expressed concern over the recently finalised FTA with New Zealand, under which the tariff on apples has been reduced from 50 per cent to 25 per cent, pears fixed at 16.5 per cent and kiwis allowed at zero duty.
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