'Desi' apples outshine 'Videsi'

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 5. In the long-running war between the ``desi'' and ``videsi'' varieties, the home-grown Indian apple seems to be emerging the winner. For all the shine and hype associated with them, imported apples are now taking a beating in the domestic market.

For once, the ``Red Delicious'', ``Rich Red'' and ``Red Gold'' varieties from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir have outclassed the much talked about ``Red Delicious'', ``Pacific Rose'', ``Royal Gale'', ``Fuji'' and ``Granny Smith'' of U.S., New Zealand and Brazil.

Setting at rest fears of farmers and domestic traders -- stemming from placement of apple imports on the Open General Licence list under the WTO treaty -- the Indian apple today is rated better in terms of taste and size. Imported apples, which made their entry into Delhi at high prices much before the opening up of trade under WTO, had created panic among growers and traders. Fears were expressed that the imported apples, packed and graded using the latest technology including waxing, which imparts extra shine to them, would make life difficult for the Indian growers. After that initial scare, the imported apples appear to have lost their sheen and have been replaced by the fresh and juicy local varieties.

Says the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Chairman, Mr. Rajinder Sharma: ``Compared to Indian varieties, the imported apple is packed in August and kept in cold storage till December. It is then shipped to India, kept in cold storage for another three months before finally hitting the market. This makes it less juicy, and the taste too disappears due to the time lag between the plucking of the apple and its reaching the markets.''

According to traders at the Fruit and Vegetable Market here in Azadpur, many who banked on the charisma of imported apples have suffered heavy losses this year.

Says the Kashmir Apple Merchants' Association general secretary, Mr. Mitha Ram Kriplani: ``Though the imported varieties look very attractive, they do not taste as well as the Indian varieties. Apart from being expensive, they have very little juice content. The waxing applied to the apples too is not good for health.''

According to Mr. Kriplani, imported apples were selling from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,400 per 18 to 20-kg box during April, May and June this year just before the beginning of the apple season in Himachal. But as soon as fresh apples started arriving from Shimla, the situation changed dramatically and prices fell to Rs. 300 to Rs. 700 per box. On the contrary, the domestic apple took centre-stage and sold for Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,000 per 18-kg box during July and August. The domestic varieties from Himachal and Kashmir are now doing roaring business, fetching the growers good returns.

The success of the local species has for once reassured the farmers that the imported varieties need not always pose a threat to them. But how long the good times last, only time will tell.

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