Native Apples Edged Out With Chinese Fruit's Invasion
Date : January 31, 2012
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The next time you see shiny red apples being sold in your neighbourhood, they might just be from China. Every winter, Chinese apples - imported mostly from the Shaanxi province - invade Delhi's fruit markets, giving Indian apple growers tough competition. Being glossy and succulent, they are generally picked up faster than the Indian varieties.
The growing appeal of Chinese apples is a cause of concern for apple merchants at the Azadpur subzi mandi, the largest wholesale market in the country. Trade experts say the jump in imports poses a threat to the native varieties. "Imports have gone up because buyers have to pay only 50% as duty. This should be hiked.
The large intake of Chinese apples will continue till May or June. Indian apples fetch a piddling amount since the Chinese varieties are available in bulk. Apples from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir are more than enough for the domestic market," said the General Secretary, Apple Merchants Association, and President, Fruit and Vegetable Traders' Chamber.
With their entire produce getting sold out at cheap prices , the apple growers of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir are hard hit. The surfeit of apples from the US also eats into their profits. Estimates by the apple merchants' association place the annual losses suffered due to stiff competition somewhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000.
The issue of increase in import of Chinese apples was flagged recently in the Parliament. "Apples from Himachal are being edged out by the Chinese varieties. What's worse, we don't even quarantine these apples and they may contain pests. Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI) has studies to show that these apples can have pests and may lead to diseases ," said Food Policy Analyst.
The Chairman of Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and director of Agricultural and Processed Food Products and Export Development Authority (APEDA) agreed that the market has been swept up by Chinese apples. "They taste bland, that's all I can say. The safety aspect can only be looked into by the Food Safety and Standards Authority that also deals with imported food."
Last year, the Himachal Assembly unanimously adopted a private member's bill that pushes the Centre to levy anti-dumping duty on apples being imported from China. "Customers demand greater variety so we stock Chinese apples too. They are slightly more expensive than the Indian ones," said owner of a fruit and vegetable store at INA Market.
One of the farm fresh fruits suppliers says the strange thing about Chinese apples is that they taste the same all year round. "Though Chinese apples can at times cost Rs 20 to Rs 40 more than the Indian varieties , people buy them because they look more tempting with their bright red, gleaming surface. They look the same all the time unlike Indian apples," he said.
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