On Monday, India outlawed the import of apples with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) price per kilogramme of less than or equal to Rs 50. The government switches the importation policy from "free" to "prohibited".
Bhutan would not be affected by the change to the apple import regulation, according to a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
Where the CIF Import Price is less than equivalent to Rs 50/- per kilogramme, the import of apples is prohibited. For imports from Bhutan, the Minimum Import Price criteria shall not be applicable, according to the DGFT.
According to
Export Import Data, India imported $260.37 million worth of apples from Turkey, Italy, Iran, and Chile between April and February of FY23. India imported fresh apples worth $385.1 million in total in 2021–2022.
The action assumes significance since, according to reports, Iranian apples were driving down the price of indigenous apples and apple producers in Kashmir had urged for a ban on their import.
By allowing its inbound shipments through the airports and ports of Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, and Cochin as well as Delhi's land port and airport, the government eliminated the port limitations on apple imports in 2018. Additionally, it had allowed imports through India's land boundaries.
