The high-pitched campaign that had begun in Mandi—the central district of Himachal Pradesh—immediately after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut as its candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has turned intensely feverish, both electorally and politically. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued notification for polling in four Lok Sabha seats and six by-elections for the state assembly on June 1―the last phase of the polling.
If it was the “beef-eating” controversy against her earlier―racked-up by her Congress rival Vikramaditya Singh, the scion of the erstwhile Rampur-Bushehr dynasty―the ‘Fashion’ actress is facing the ire of the farmers’ associations, primarily the apple producers of Himachal Pradesh.
A strong reminder to her social media post during the 2021-22 farmers’ protest in Delhi’s borders has come from the Sanyukt Kisan Manch (SKM), an umbrella body of fruit and vegetable organisations in the hill state.“She (Kangana) had been very vocal, criticising the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws. The criticism is fine, but it’s more to do with what she had said first. She insulted the farmer community; then she also called an elderly woman protester as Bilkis Bano of anti-CAA protests in the Delhi neighbourhood of Shaheen Bagh,” says Harish Chauhan, convenor of the SKM.
Now that she is seeking voters in Himachal Pradesh, which has a large number of farmer voters and horticulturists, we expect an apology, at least, says Chauhan.
He goes on to say that “Kangana is Himachal-ki-beti undoubtedly and we have nothing against her contesting the elections in Mandi, but she should apologise for hurting the sentiments of the farmers,” says Chauhan. He also criticises another film celebrity, Preity Zinta, who is from the apple of Himachal Pradesh, and says that she (Zinta) has been on the wrong side of public opinion.
Meanwhile, outlining the farmers’ demands in these elections, Chauhan says, “We will support the party and the candidates who will talk about the interest of the horticulturalists and farmers and will raise our demands and concerns in Parliament. We are asking them to protect our produce from foreign apples by raising the import duty up to 100 per cent. It is now 50 per cent. Even capping the price for imported apples has not served the purpose.”
In May 2023, the Government of India, through a notification, under Section 3, read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, had introduced the Minimum Import Price (MIP) for apples. According to an official notification, under the ITC (HS) 08081000, import of apples was ‘prohibited’ wherever the CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) is less than Rs 50 per kg from countries, except Bhutan. This was aimed to protect the country’s apple farmers. Unfortunately, political parties are not talking about farmers’ issues and are allowing imported apples to India.
Congress MLA and former director, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Kuldeep Rathore, says that due to SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area), Iranian apples are reaching India via Afghanistan, without paying duty; these apples are is cheaper than the domestic ones. While a box of Iranian apples is sold for Rs 1,000 to 1,200, Himachali apples are priced between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,600.
The Union government has not taken concrete measures to protect the apple growers. The trend will not impact apple cultivations, but also fruits such as plum, cherry, apricot and strawberry.
Lately, apple growers of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have incurred huge losses due to the unbridled import of apples from neighboring countries at much lower prices. As input costs of apples have been rising exponentially, low market prices have been disincentivising apple farming in both Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Now that Anand Sharma, former Union commerce and industry minister, has entered the electoral battle in the Kangra Parliamentary constituency, the BJP is targeting him for not helping the state in its demand to raise the import duty to 100 per cent.
During the election campaign, Chetan Bragta, a state BJP leader and son of former state horticulture minister, Narinder Bragta, has circulated a letter of Sharma, written to Narinder Bragta on September 16, 2011, dismissing the demand for a hike in import duty because GATT/WTO. “The scope for further increase in the tariff rates without further negotiations under the WTO regime therefore seems unlikely at the moment” the letter reads.
Chauhan stresses for 100 per cent import duty citing examples of 115 per cent import duty on spices and coffee. “If this can be done in the case of coffee and spices, why can’t it be done for the apples?”The apple crop, he says, is also facing major problems because of climate change and disturbed snow cycle. The drought conditions have also left a serious impact on the crop.
