Centre must reconsider lifting of additional duties on US apples: Former J&K CMs

Srinagar: Two former J&K Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah on Monday demanded reconsidering the Government of India’s decision to lift additional duties on apples, walnuts, and almonds from the United States.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said the decision to lift additional duties on apples, walnuts, and almonds from the US would have a devastating effect on the local growers in Jammu and Kashmir.
Last week the Union Finance Ministry, in a notification announced the removal of additional duties on several US products including chickpeas, lentils (masur), apples, walnuts in shells, and fresh or dried almonds, as well as shelled almonds.
The notification came a day before US President Joe Biden’s arrival in India for the G20 Summit. Mufti hoped that the Prime Minister would reconsider the decision of removal of the duties.
“GOIs decision to remove additional duties on apples, walnuts & almonds will have a devastating effect on local growers in J&K already grappling with huge losses post 2019. Hope @PMOIndia reconsiders,” Mufti said on X.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that he did not understand why the union government has put its own people in trouble for pleasing Americans.
”If they did not want to think about the people of Kashmir, at least they should have considered the plight of growers from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. They have destroyed people of J&K, Himachal and Uttarakhand,” Abdullah told reporters here,.
He said the government should try to make its own people happy and reconsider its decision to remove the additional duty on apples, walnuts and almonds imported from the US.
The NC leader questioned what was the point of the G20 summit when decisions like lifting of additional duties on apples, walnuts, and almonds from the US were taken.
“Instead of making G20 leaders happy, try to make your own people happy. Now the G20 is over, reverse these decisions,” he added.
Omar said J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha should convene a meeting with fruit growers at the earliest and listen to them. UNI