Where are Indian fruits?

Have you experienced this? When you go to buy fruits, have you ever found fruits which are actually produced in India? Almost always, all fruit vendors sell ‘imported’ fruits – right from apples, oranges, kiwis, pears, and even watermelons. Everything is imported and the prices are so high that very few Indians can actually afford them.

India is the third largest importer of  USA’s apples and this too when our very own state, J&K and Himachal produce some of the best and most fragrant apples in the world. Today, when you go to a fruit vendor, you hardly get to even see these Indian fruits. In fact for us Indians, fruits produced in India have become exotic!

This surge in imports is despite the fact that India imposes a 50% duty on apples and 33% for most other fruits with a view to protect local producers. India is also the second-largest producer of fruits in the world, after China, being the largest producer of bananas and mangoes, according to the National Horticulture Board.

While this ‘make in India’ slogan is good, we cannot help but question whether we will also soon need a ‘Buy Indian’ slogan.  And yes, the Govt, if it truly wants to protect the farmers, needs to first curb these imports and give impetus to producing more within India itself. Won’t it be a pleasure to actually be able to buy Nagpur oranges, grapes from Nasik, apples from Himachal?