Exclude Kashmir apples from India-U.S. trade deal, says Mehbooba

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday (February 20, 2026) urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exclude apples from the proposed India-U.S. trade deal “to safeguard the interests of Kashmir”.

Ms. Mufti said reports of zero-duty on American apple imports would deliver a death blow to the orchard economy of Kashmir. “Horticulture is the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, supporting over seven lakh families whose livelihoods, children’s education, and healthcare depend entirely on it,” Ms. Mufti said.

She demanded that the government exclude apples from the India-U.S. trade list, retain at least 50% import duty to ensure a level playing field, strictly enforce Minimum Import Price mechanisms, and provide targeted subsidies, easy credit, and infrastructure support to local growers.

“If the Centre fails to act, lakhs of orchard families will be pushed into irreversible financial distress,” Ms. Mufti said.

She said the Kashmir horticulture sector was “already bleeding due to low-priced Iranian imports routed through South Asian Free Trade Area, which have depressed market prices and weakened demand for local produce”.

“Flooding our markets with heavily subsidised American apples will trigger a price war we cannot win. The structural disadvantages faced by local growers including climate uncertainty, weak supply chains, and high transportation costs contrasting it with the massive subsidies enjoyed by American farmers,” Ms. Mufti said.

She said protecting Kashmiri apples was “not protectionism”. “It is about safeguarding livelihoods, heritage, and the dignity of farming,” Ms. Mufti said.