Apple Growers Face Price Crash, AIKS Seeks Market Intervention Before India-New Zealand FTA

The All India Kisan Sabha (Ajoy Bhavan) has demanded immediate market intervention by the Union Government and the governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, warning that apple growers are facing a sharp fall in prices amid the peak harvesting season and the prospect of increased imports under upcoming trade agreements.

The farmers' organisation has called for an All India Apple Growers' Protest Day on October 19, a day before the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is scheduled to come into force. AIKS said the domestic apple market is already under pressure and warned that the trade agreements could make the crisis more permanent.

Apple Prices Fall Sharply

According to AIKS, apple prices in Kashmir's mandis have declined significantly in recent weeks. A 15–16 kg carton is currently selling for around Rs. 700–1,000, compared with Rs. 1,100–1,700 a few weeks ago. This translates into roughly Rs. 44–67 per kg for growers, the organisation said.

The Valley produces around 2.1 million tonnes of apples annually, accounting for more than 70% of India's apple production, according to the press release. However, the region has controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage capacity of only around 2.92 lakh tonnes against an estimated requirement of about 6 lakh tonnes. As a result, small growers must sell their produce on the day it is harvested.

The Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), under which NAFED paid Rs. 60, Rs. 44 and Rs. 24 per kg for A, B and C grade apples respectively in Kashmir from 2019, has not been revived. In Himachal Pradesh, where the Horticulture Department estimates the crop at about 2 crore boxes, compared with around 3.5 crore last year, culled apples fetch a support price of only Rs. 12 per kg, while MIS dues from past seasons remain unpaid.

Concerns Over Crop Insurance

AIKS also raised concerns about the absence of effective crop insurance for horticultural crops in Jammu and Kashmir. The crop insurance was formally adopted in the Union Territory in 2016 but has never been implemented for horticulture, citing an RTI response. The tenders were scrapped again in June 2026 after insurers demanded premiums exceeding 30%, AIKS said.

Hailstorms in August damaged orchards across the Valley. Last year's three-week closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway caused prices to crash by about 40%, with growers estimating losses at nearly Rs. 2,000 crore. AIKS said no compensation package followed.

FTAs Raise Import Concerns

AIKS has expressed particular concern about the India-New Zealand FTA, which is scheduled to enter into force on October 20, 2026. Under the agreement, the duty on New Zealand apples will be reduced from 50% to 25% for a quota of 32,500 tonnes, rising to 45,000 tonnes annually. The imports are scheduled between April and August, a period when Indian growers sell apples kept in storage.

AIKS also pointed to the India-EU FTA, concluded this year, under which the duty on EU apples will be reduced to 20% for a quota of 50,000 tonnes, eventually rising to 1 lakh tonnes. The Government has also agreed, in the February 2026 framework with the United States, to a quota for US apples at 25% duty, and is preparing to sign the agreement.

Surge in US Apple Imports

The organisation said the existing minimum import price of Rs. 80 per kg does not adequately protect Indian growers during the storage season, when imported apples can compete with apples stored in domestic CA facilities. AIKS cited the experience following the easing of duties on US apples in 2023, when imports rose from about 50,000 boxes in 2022–23 to about 22 lakh boxes by mid-2024, an increase of more than forty times.

AIKS President Rajan Kshirsagar said, "The Government tells apple growers they are fully protected, while it signs away the market for the months when they sell their stored fruit. There is no MIS, no insurance, and no storage for the small grower. We will not allow the orchards of the Himalaya to be traded away for car and wine concessions. If the Market Intervention Scheme is not announced before 20 October, the apple belt will be on the streets."

Demand for Higher Market Support

AIKS has demanded the immediate launch of the Market Intervention Scheme at minimum prices of Rs. 90, Rs. 65 and Rs. 50 per kg for A, B and C grade apples, respectively. Other demands include clearing all pending MIS dues with interest and introducing a statutory minimum support price for apples based on C2 costs plus 50%.

The organisation has also demanded that apples be excluded from the India-New Zealand, India-EU and India-US trade agreements and that the import duty on apples be raised to 100%.

AIKS has called for the creation of public and cooperative CA storage facilities to address the shortage of storage capacity faced by small growers. It has also demanded a fully government-funded crop insurance scheme, immediate relief for orchards affected by hailstorms, and assured movement of apple-laden trucks, along with compensation for losses caused by highway closures.

Apple Growers' Protest on October 19

AIKS has called on its units to observe October 19 as an All India Apple Growers' Protest Day, with demonstrations at district and block headquarters and the submission of memoranda to the Prime Minister through Deputy Commissioners.

AIKS has invited the Apple Farmers' and all apple growers' organisations to join a united campaign. If the demands are not met, AIKS said it will launch a sustained agitation across the apple belt and take the struggle to the national capital.