Apple seeds of discord: Farmers mustn't be trapped in a trade war

India must align its trade policy with the interests of local apple growers and resist making arbitrary shifts that hurt them

- Prachi Bansal & Sahaj Sohi

Apple production supports about 900,000 households in India. Most are apple growers in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand with modest incomes. Recently, several farmers from these regions held a protest against the government, demanding remunerative prices for their produce, much like other farmers protesting on the state borders of New Delhi.

The case of apple farmers is peculiar. Apple yields in India are low and the country lacks on-orchard cold storage facilities. They bear costly inputs, given how expensive fertilizers and pesticides have become, and face the constant threat of volatile prices even as climate change adds to their vulnerability. Natural calamities such as droughts, floods, hail-storms and rising temperatures in the Himalayas complicate their prospects. Wildlife risks, particularly monkeys destroying crops, abound as well. Meanwhile, corporate presence in the apple market has risen.

Trade policies pose their own challenges. Today, Indian apple producers are caught in a web of geopolitical tensions and inconsistent policies that often prioritize short-term diplomatic objectives over the stability of their livelihoods.

India's trade skirmishes with the US, in particular, demonstrates how apple growers are made to bear the burden of policy instability.