In India, apple growers ask a tax on imported products

In India, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, apple production is a major economic sector, with an estimated value of about 60 billion Indian rupees (734.4 million dollars). SKM (Samyukt Kisan Morcha), an organization of farmers' unions, has called on the state government to exclude apples from the free trade agreement and impose a 100% tax on imported apples, especially for apples low-priced imports from Iran, for which large increases in customs tariffs and stringent plant health inspections are expected. For local farmers, production costs have risen, but the prices of apples paid to apple growers have remained unchanged and in some cases have even ...