Jahangir Sofi
Srinagar, Aug 31: With the political situation in Bangladesh showing signs of stabilisation, Kashmir’s fruit industry has cautiously resumed its apple exports to the country, particularly the American Apple variety.
The development comes after weeks of uncertainty when unrest in Bangladesh had severely impacted trade, leading to concerns among Kashmiri fruit growers and dealers.
Shahid Choudhary, a senior member of the fruit growers body in Kashmir said the resumption of apple exports to Bangladesh is a much-needed respite not only for him but for all the growers who work entire year to ensure a quality produce for foreign markets.
“It is a much-needed relief for both dealers and growers. The recent unrest in Bangladesh created uncertainty among all of us. We were unsure of any orders this year,” he said.
Choudhary said the fresh resumption of the apple export trade was a welcome development and has spread happiness among the growers and dealers.
Bashir Ahmad Bashir, the president of the apex fruit body representing Kashmir’s fruit growers, said that in recent days, shipments of the American Apple varieties have started reaching Bangladeshi markets.
He, however, noted that while the export market has not yet fully recovered, there was optimism among growers. “We are hopeful that in the coming days, the volume of orders from Bangladeshi buyers will increase,” Bashir said.
Notably, during the harvest season in Kashmir, several apple traders from Bangladesh camp in Kashmir to buy and meet the demand for Kashmiri apples in their homeland.
According to Choudhary, Bangladesh is an important market for varieties of apples from Kashmir, especially American Apples.
“We export over 70 percent American apple variety produce to Bangladeshi markets,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that after the Union finance ministry ordered the lifting of additional duties on apples, almonds, chickpeas and walnuts in September last year, the Kashmir apple industry is facing an unprecedented crisis and grappling with low demand due to the influx of foreign apples in the Indian markets.
Several mainstream politicians in the region have urged the government to reconsider the decision, saying it impacts the growers in Kashmir.
As apple revenue has been one of the key GDP contributors in J&K, fruit dealers have been urging the government for a long time to slash the export duty on apples, so that they can export the fruit to various countries.
