Srinagar, Dec 09: The Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary on Monday informed Parliament that the current import duty on apples stands at 50%, adhering to World Trade Organization (WTO) norms.
The revelation came in response to a query about the impact of imported apples on domestic producers, including farmers in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Minister said that the import duty on US apples was reduced from 70% to 50% in September 2023 after resolving certain WTO disputes which included the removal of an additional 20% retaliatory duty, previously imposed on US apple imports.
He said that apple imports during April-September 2023-24 surged to ₹17,902 lakh, compared to ₹4,117 lakh in the same period of 2022-23.
Responding to concerns about the implications for local farmers, especially in the Kashmir Valley, the Minister clarified that no formal assessment had been undertaken to evaluate the effect of increased apple imports. “The Department of Revenue has not received any recent representations from farmers’ associations requesting a higher import duty to safeguard domestic producers,” he added.
He said that the 50% import duty is already at the WTO-bound rate, making it legally impossible to increase tariffs further. “Beyond this point, no additional duties can be imposed under WTO rules,” he added.
