“Apple” is the
fruit of the apple tree, species Malusdomestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It
is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. The tree is small and
deciduous.
The tree originated from Central Asia, where its wild ancestor is
still found today. It is grown in million tonnes – China produces 2/5th of
this; US is the second leading producer. In US, more than 60% sold are
commercially grown in Washington state. Newzealand exports huge quantity
competing with US.
Every mother would
want her child to eat more of green vegetables and lentils – as also fruits
and apple would stand top of the chart.
Apple was often linked to health – and fruits were bought depending on
how fresh they looked. Not any longer –
today people are concerned about pesticides and chemical wax keeping their
sheen.
In August, the most
awaited apple season in the hill State of Himachal Pradesh began with the first lot of around 10 lakh
cartons reaching various markets in the country.The State, despite undergoing
an encroachment removal drive ordered by the High Court, is expecting to pack
around 4 crore boxes of 20 kg of apples each. Though a majority of business is
carried out in the private sector, the government has also opened procurement
centres. With an expected production of around 8 lakh tonnes, about a million
boxes or about 2,000 trucks of some early varieties of fruit like Red June and
Tydeman’s have already been transported out of the State. The fruit from
Himachal reaches the markets of Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan
and even down South in Bengaluru and Chennai.
Apple is the most
important fruit crop or cash crop of the hill State and constitutes about 49
per cent of the total area under fruit crops — about 85 per cent of the total
fruit production, says the latest Economic Survey of the State. The apple
fruit, is grown mainly in the districts of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi,
Chamba and some parts of Sirmaur and Lahaul-Spiti. Indian manufacturers have been facing stiff
competition from foreign countries as people buying in supermarkets prefer
buying imported varieties which have more sheen !
Down under, Australian
apple growers are congratulating Federal Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce
on his decision to endorse International Eat an Apple a Day. “If the majority
of Australians were to eat an Australian grown apple on 'international eat an apple
day' then our industry would likely seen an instant impact from that,” said
Baden Ribbon, Sales and Marketing manager for Hansen Orchards, a large
Tasmanian based grower. “High quality Australian apples are available all year
round so there is no reason to stop having one every day.” Then there is Fuji
apple, a hybrid variety, considered to be very sweet and a hit in the market.
Back home, the Directorate
General of foreign Trade (DGFT) is the agency of the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry of the Government of India, responsible for execution of the import
and export Policies of India. DGFT plays a very important role in the
development of trading relations with various other nations and thus help in
improving not only the economic growth but also provides a certain impetus
needed in the trade industry.
Today’s Indian
Express writes that imported apples will cost more in Tamil Nadu following the
notification by Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to ban import of
apples through Chennai Port.
According to the
notification, only NhavaSheva Port in Maharastra has been approved for
importing apples. A Chennai Port official told Express the move would affect
the revenue of Chennai Port, while it is also expected to have an impact on a
large network of wholesale and retail traders. Chennai Port imports 5,000
cartons of apples every years.“We will take the issue up through Shipping
Ministry with Union Commerce Ministry,” said the official.
Union Commerce
Ministry apparently took the decision to protect the domestic apple trade -
India is the third biggest producer in the world. However, port sources pointed
out that the domestic apple trade was seasonal while the import of apples
through Chennai Port happened round the year. “There is no reason why Commerce
Ministry resorted to such a decision,” said the official.The notification of
DGFT to import apples into India only through NhavaSheva Port has irked apple
importers in Chennai Port.
ChozhaNaachiarRajasekar,
president of Tamil Chamber of Commerce, has urged Commerce Minister
NirmalaSeetharaman to allow import of apples through the Chennai Port by
issuing a fresh DGFT notification, pointing out that it would otherwise involve
huge rise in freight charges to transport the containers to southern states.
“Apples are
imported in refrigerated containers from countries like the US, Australia and
Fuji Island. If the consignments are to be imported only at NhavaSheva, then
the goods should be transported in refrigerated container or trucks to Chennai
and other places involving a huge freight component, pushing up the price of
apples which is avoidable,” said Rajasekar.
Concluding, there
is ‘modi apple’- nothing to do with our respected Prime Minister, Sri
NarendraModi. It is a variety [or a
brand] from Italy. Their website claims
that Modì® is the first apple with a carbon footprint marker (CFP), measured by
the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Bolzano. Its carbon
monoxide emissions are equal to 0.028 kg of CO2 per kg of Modì® produced in a fruit
orchard, with a reduction of up to 49% of greenhouse gas emissions into the
atmosphere compared to other benchmark varieties under the same conditions as
Modì®. Understand that Carbon footprint
is an environmental indicator that measures the impact of human activities on
the planet’s climate and expresses the amount of greenhouse gases generated by
goods and services. Modi is an international brand that began production in
Italy with the establishment of the Modì Europa consortium in 2007.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
25th Sept. 2015.
