Himachal minister opposes FDI in retail

"Apple growers are already reeling under pressure due to import of two-lakh mt of apples which has affected prices in the Indian market.

"This would not have happened had the Union government accepted our plea to raise the import duty to 80 per cent to curb the import of apples," he told reporters here.

The hike in prices of diesel have led to increase in freight charges by 30 per cent and now the FDI, which would reduce customs duty to zero, would have a telling effect on the state's apple economy, the minister said.

"Our cost of production is high and productivity is very less and as such Indian apple growers will suffer badly in an uneven competition and foreign apples will dominate markets," he said.

Bragata said the demand for apples in India was Rs 35 lakh metric tonnes and the availability was 21 lakh metric tonnes.

"If imported apples are going to fill this gap, how the apple economy of the country will grow and what will be the fate of small growers,