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Farmers to protest in Delhi against import duty concession on US apples

February 27, 2026 6 min read Economics International Relations GS2 (India-US Relations Trade Policy) GS3 (Agriculture Food Security Trade)
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What Happened

  • Apple farmers from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand announced a joint protest in Delhi against the government's decision to grant a quota-based duty concession on apples imported from the United States.
  • The protest was organised under the newly formed Apple Farmers Federation of India (AFFI), which emerged from the three primary apple-growing states.
  • An India-US interim trade pact allowed a specified quantity of American apples to enter India without the standard import duties, as part of broader trade negotiations aimed at resolving tariff disputes with the US.
  • Farmers fear that cheaper US apples will undercut domestic prices, causing severe economic losses given that apple farming is the primary livelihood for lakhs of families in J&K and Himachal Pradesh.
  • The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) — the umbrella farmer organisation that led the farm law repeal movement — expressed solidarity and pledged support to the apple farmers.
  • Hundreds of farmers and workers also joined broader protests demanding the government to halt trade concessions to the US and enact a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops.

Static Topic Bridges

India-US Trade Relations and Tariff Disputes

India and the United States have a longstanding trade relationship but have had recurring tariff friction. India was removed from the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme in June 2019 over India's trade practices. Since then, both sides have been negotiating a trade package. The US has pressed India to reduce tariffs on agricultural products, particularly apples, almonds, and walnuts where American exporters are competitive. India's applied MFN (Most Favoured Nation) tariff on apples is 50% — a quota-based concession effectively lowers this for a specified volume of US apples, giving American producers a competitive advantage within the quota. India has separately imposed retaliatory tariffs on US goods (walnuts, almonds, chickpeas) since 2018 in response to US Section 232 steel/aluminium tariffs.

  • India-US GSP: India removed from US GSP programme (June 2019)
  • India's MFN tariff on apples: 50%
  • US Section 232 tariffs: 25% on steel, 10% on aluminium (India affected since 2018)
  • India's retaliatory tariffs: On US almonds, walnuts, chickpeas (since June 2019)
  • Current framework: Interim trade pact discussions — India offering quota-based concessions on select products
  • Apple import quota: Allows specified volume of US apples at reduced/zero duty
  • US demand: Lower agricultural tariffs as condition for broader trade package

Connection to this news: The apple duty concession is a direct outcome of India-US trade negotiations — India is using sector-specific tariff relief as a negotiating chip to secure broader trade benefits from the US, but this creates losers among domestic agricultural producers who had relied on high import tariffs as market protection.

Import Duties, Trade Policy and WTO Framework

Under the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework, countries commit to bound tariff rates (maximum they can charge under WTO rules) and apply MFN (Most Favoured Nation) tariffs — the default non-discriminatory rate applied to all WTO members equally. India's WTO-bound tariff on apples is 100% but the applied MFN rate is 50%. A quota-based duty concession granted specifically to the US would violate the MFN principle unless structured as a part of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or Preferential Trade Agreement notified to the WTO, or granted under tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) available to all members. This legal complexity is part of why such concessions are politically sensitive — they can be challenged under WTO dispute resolution.

  • WTO-bound tariff on apples (India): 100% (maximum India can charge)
  • MFN applied tariff on apples: 50% (India's standard rate for all WTO members)
  • MFN principle (GATT Article I): All WTO members must be treated equally for tariffs
  • FTA exception (GATT Article XXIV): Preferential rates allowed within an FTA covering substantially all trade
  • Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ): Allows a specified volume at lower rate; higher rate above quota — WTO-compliant if non-discriminatory
  • India-US FTA: Not yet concluded; ongoing negotiations; interim package as stopgap
  • WTO Dispute Settlement: US or other apple exporters could challenge preferential US concession via WTO DSB

Connection to this news: The legal structure of the US apple concession matters for UPSC — if structured as a TRQ available to all members, it may be WTO-compliant; if it is specifically and exclusively for US origin apples without an FTA framework, it risks WTO challenge from other apple exporters like Chile, New Zealand, or China.

MSP, Farm Laws, and Farmer Agitation in India

The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is an administrative price set by the Government of India (based on CACP — Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices recommendations) for 23 crops annually. It guarantees farmers a minimum price, but procurement at MSP is primarily limited to wheat and rice through FCI and state agencies. The 2020-21 farmer protests — one of the largest in independent India — led to the repeal of three controversial farm laws in November 2021. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) that led those protests remains a credible mobilisation platform. Farmers' ongoing demand for a statutory MSP guarantee (legal right to sell any crop at or above MSP) has not been met; this demand persists and shapes rural political economy.

  • MSP: Minimum Support Price — set annually for 23 crops by government; based on CACP recommendations
  • Procurement at MSP: Primarily wheat + rice (through FCI/state agencies); limited for other crops
  • CACP: Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices — recommends MSP; under MoA&FW
  • SKM: Samyukta Kisan Morcha — umbrella organisation of 40+ farmer unions; led 2020-21 protests
  • Farm laws repealed: November 2021 (three laws: FPTCA, EPM amendment, CA amendment)
  • Unmet demand: Statutory MSP guarantee for all crops (legal obligation to buy at MSP)
  • Apple and MSP: Apples are not among the 23 MSP crops; apple growers' protection relies entirely on import tariffs

Connection to this news: Apple farmers' protest is distinct from the MSP debate — apples are not covered by MSP at all, so tariff protection is their only policy shield against import competition. The US duty concession removes this shield for a specific volume of imports, highlighting the gap in India's agricultural protection architecture for horticultural crops outside the MSP system.

Key Facts & Data

  • Protest organised by: Apple Farmers Federation of India (AFFI) — J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand farmers
  • Issue: Quota-based import duty concession granted to US apples in interim trade pact
  • India's MFN applied tariff on apples: 50%; WTO-bound rate: 100%
  • US apple import: Allowed at reduced/zero duty within a specified quota volume
  • Support from: Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM)
  • Broader demands: Halt to US trade concessions; statutory MSP guarantee for all crops
  • India-US GSP: India removed from US programme in 2019; negotiations ongoing
  • MSP-covered crops: 23 crops (apples NOT included)
  • CACP: Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices — recommends MSP
  • Farm laws repealed: November 2021 following SKM-led protests
  • Apple cultivation regions: J&K (especially Kashmir Valley), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand — key livelihoods