The Applecart is Upset

Pulwama orchard farmers pray for salvation amid tariff tussle, increasing imports

- Ishfaq Naseem IS SENIOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, OUTLOOK. HE IS BASED IN SRINAGAR

IN Muran, a village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, a group of labourers sat under a tarpaulin tent for a quick lunch before resuming work in the apple orchards.

Around them, plastic crates piled high with freshly plucked fruit waited to be weighed and carted off. The grove, reached through narrow dirt tracks and sloping fields dotted with grazing cattle and scattered houses, has in recent years shifted to high-density apple varieties imported from Italy. The switch came as farmers struggled to cope with falling prices, a slide fuelled by the steady inflow of cheaper, imported Washington apples into Indian markets.

In Kashmir, the impact of apple imports from the United States, along with California walnuts and almonds, was being felt long before President Donald Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports. The Valley contributes close to 98 per cent of India's walnut output, with an annual production of 3.5 lakh quintals, and more than seven lakh families rely on apple orchards for their livelihood. Heavy imports from the US had already weakened the sector, and the fresh tariffs have now left exports nearly dried up.