New Delhi - In an address to the Indian Parliament, Pankaj Chaudhary, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, disclosed that apple imports are subjected to a 50% customs duty, aligning with the World Trade Organization’s maximum permitted rate. This clarification was in response to queries from Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a Parliament member from Srinagar, concerning the potential repercussions of reduced import duties on U.S. apple imports for Kashmir’s domestic apple cultivators and the possibility of duty adjustments to safeguard local producers.

The minister elaborated that a prior 70% duty, specifically targeting . . .