Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 12: Senior Congress leader and CWC Member Tariq Hameed Karra slammed BJP for relaxing import duty on American (US) apples and demanded 100% import duty on foreign fruit to protect local apple growers in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a press statement here the CWC Member came down heavily on BJP for relaxing import duty on American apples. The veteran Congress leader said, “Apple farmers like any other sector have suffered a lot under the indifferent government headed by Modi and Amit Shah. The Central government has remained anti-small business, anti-farmers and works totally in the interest of crony capitalists by ignoring the common populace of Jammu and Kashmir.”
According to Karra, a former Finance Minister in J&K, the import of apple from foreign countries will further deteriorate the economical situation of the local apple growers of Jammu and Kashmir. Karra said that they will oppose such unjust and exploitative policies of the government tooth and nail while demanding a 100 ? import duty on foreign fruit and promotion of local produce.
“Horticulture roughly creates a revenue of around Rs 10,000 crore in Kashmir employing around 3.5 million people. Jammu and Kashmir is the highest producer of apples in India with a production of around 20 lakh metric tonnes annually,” Karra maintained.
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