US shadow over Kashmiri apples as Prez Trump slashes tariffs on Washington apples

Srinagar, Mar 11: Apple growers in Jammu and Kashmir have raised alarms over U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s recent announcement to reduce tariffs on Washington apples, fearing it will severely affect India’s domestic fruit industry. The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union has formally written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging his intervention to prevent the move, which they argue will flood Indian markets with cheap imported apples and push local growers into crisis.
The tariff reduction, set to take effect on April 2, 2025, is expected to increase imports from the U.S., making it harder for apple farmers in J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to compete. The union, representing growers from major apple-producing regions like Sopore, Shopian, Pulwama and Anantnag, has warned that small and marginal farmers will be the worst hit, leading to financial distress across the sector.
J&K’s horticulture industry, which serves as the backbone of the region’s economy, supports over seven lakh families. The growers argue that Washington apples, which are already available in Indian markets, will become even cheaper with lower import duties, undercutting local apple prices and reducing profits for domestic farmers.
“If Washington apples enter Indian markets at lower tariffs, it will deal a severe blow to our local growers,” Basheer Ahmed Bashir, President of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealers Union told Rising Kashmir. “We have already been facing immense challenges due to falling prices and weather-related disasters. This decision will push thousands of farmers towards financial ruin.”
Bashir said that they have submitted a detailed memorandum to PM Modi seeking his immediate intervention urging him to impose 100 per cent duty on Washington apples so that the livelihood of seven lakh people associated with the apple trade in Kashmir, is saved.
Kashmiri apple growers have been grappling with multiple challenges over the past decade, including political turmoil, extreme weather events, and transportation issues. The devastating floods of 2014, followed by hailstorms and heavy winds, have already caused significant damage to orchards. Past two years of prolonged dry spell has also hit the apple industry even as the fresh spell of rains in March month this year have rekindled the hope for bumper crop this season. The growers argue that Trump’s tariff decision will further push them into economic uncertainty.
“We are not against trade, but it should not come at the cost of our survival,” Bashir added. “If the government does not act, we will be forced to protest and take our concerns to the streets.”
In their appeal, the fruit growers have urged the central government to reject negotiations on tariff cuts and instead impose a 100 per cent duty on Washington apples to protect the domestic apple industry.
“The government must act before it’s too late. If tariff reductions go through, it will cripple our local apple industry, leaving thousands of families in deep financial trouble,” Bashir warned. The fruit growers now await a response from the Prime Minister’s Office, hoping that urgent measures will be taken to safeguard India’s apple farmers from unfair competition in global trade.