In an address to the Indian Parliament, Pankaj Chaudhary, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, disclosed that apple imports are subjected to a 50% customs duty, aligning with the World Trade Organization’s maximum permitted rate. This clarification was in response to queries from Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a Parliament member from Srinagar, concerning the potential repercussions of reduced import duties on U.S. apple imports for Kashmir’s domestic apple cultivators and the possibility of duty adjustments to safeguard local producers.
The minister elaborated that a prior 70% duty, specifically targeting U.S. imports as a countermeasure, was lifted after settling certain disputes under the WTO framework. Commerce Department data reveals a fluctuation in apple import values, with figures showing a decline from 36,237 lakh ($491,373,000) in 2019-20 to 4,117 lakh ($55,829,000) in 2022-23, before a slight increase to 17,716 lakh ($240,067,000) in 2023-24. For the half-year period ending in September 2024, the import value recorded was 17,902 lakh ($242,727,000).