Tarigami warns Indo-US trade pact to deal severe blow to IIOJK’s apple economy
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), senior leader of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has expressed serious concern over the impact of the recent Indo-US trade agreement for the territory’s apple economy, warning that local growers would struggle to compete with heavily subsidized American imports.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement in Srinagar, Tarigami said the agreement paves the way for duty-free entry of American apples, walnuts, and other agricultural products into the Indian market, while local produce continues to face tariffs and non-tariff barriers in the US.
“This is practically a surrender before America,” Tarigami asserted, adding that the deal would particularly hurt Kashmir’s fruit industry, which forms the backbone of the territory’s rural economy sustaining lakhs of families.
He pointed out that American apple producers receive substantial government subsidies, whereas growers in IIOJK, as well as in Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are grappling with high input costs, including expensive pesticides and fertilizers, besides facing frequent logistical challenges like road closures.
Tarigami said that with very few employment opportunities available in IIOJK, the agricultural sector, especially horticulture, remains critical for livelihoods. “Government jobs are scarce, the private sector is weak, and traditional industries like carpets and shawls are non-existent now. Tourism remains vulnerable,” he said.
He also criticized the agreement for aligning India’s trade policies with American dictates, including restrictions on purchasing oil from Russia.
