Imports, better yield in Kashmir hit Himachal apple price hard

The average price of the A grade apple in the Delhi mandi has been declining over the past five year. While a 20 kg carton fetched an average rate of Rs 1,762 in 2018, the average rate dropped to Rs 1,087 in 2023. As per the data released by the Department of Horticulture, the average rate of Royal Delicious, the best-selling variety, has also gone down significantly from Rs 1,830 in 2019 to Rs 1,373 in 2023.

“We take these rates from the website of the APMC, Delhi. We track rates from July to October, the peak months of apple harvesting,” said an official of the Horticulture Department.

According to commission agents and apple growers, the Delhi mandi sets a price benchmark for other mandis across the country. “The price in other mandis can’t be too different from the price prevailing in the Delhi mandi. There can be some variation, but it can’t be too different,” said NS Chaudhary, a veteran commission agent at the Dhalli Sabji mandi.

C Paulrasu, Secretary, Horticulture, blamed the trend of declining prices on increasing supply and the availability of apple in the market. “The apple import is on the rise. Also, the fruit production in Kashmir has gone up. This has led to the increased supply of apple in the market,” he said. “Moreover, due to the ageing plants, the quality of our fruit has been affected,” he added.

For the apple growers, who are already struggling to cope with the rising input costs, the trend of declining prices is a big blow. “This is precisely why we are demanding 100 per cent import duty on apple. Instead of supplementing our produce, the imported apple is replacing our produce in the market,” said Lokinder Bisht, president, Progressive Growers Association.

Incidentally, this apple season has started on a lukewarm note for the apple growers. “The prices are not what they normally used to be at the start of the season as the market is still flooded with the stored and imported fruit,” said Chaudhary.

Bisht said the apple economy in the state would collapse if the governments do not ensure a level playing field for them. “We can’t compete with cheaper imports as our cost of production is too high due to our terrain that’s not suitable for mechanisation. It’s tough to shift to High Density Plantation as well due to the lack of irrigation facility. It is imperative for the survival of our apple economy that import duty and minimum import price are increased, and the arrival of illegal apple through the duty-free Afghanistan route is checked,” he said.