Dry fruit bazaar unaffected by war

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, OCT. 24. War or no war, it is business as usual for the dry fruit trade here in Delhi and around. The Pakistan Government may have closed its borders to prevent influx of Afghan refugees in the wake of the U.S.-led air strikes, but that has not affected the inflow of dry fruits into India from Afghanistan.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not Afghanistan but the U.S. which is the major exporter of dry fruits to India. In addition, dry fruits are also imported from Iran, Australia and Turkey. The U.S. contributes nearly 55 per cent of dry fruits import to India and in spite of Black Tuesday shipments are expected to reach Indian ports on time.

Dispelling the widespread impression that the ongoing war has had an adverse impact on import of dry fruits from Afghanistan, the Secretary of the Indo-Afghan Chamber of Commerce, Mr. S. S. Bansal, says the Pakistani borders have not been closed for this trade. The 7,000-km Pak-Afghan border is dominated by villages and pockets which grow and harvest dry fruits in abundance and they have had no problem sending their stuff across the border since the war broke out.

``We have been receiving uninterrupted supplies of dry fruits from these villages where the influence of the Taliban is limited. But Afghanistan accounts for only 15 per cent of our total dry fruit imports. There has not been any fall-out on the price line which is stable and at par with prices prevalent last year,'' he adds.

While imports so far have been smooth, the demand in the domestic market has been poor. Prices have remained stable but the trade has not picked up. For instance, Mr. Bansal says, almond kernels available for Rs. 225 per kg last year are still being sold at Rs. 220 per kg. Pista, which fetched Rs. 325 to 400 per kg last year, is now available for Rs. 300 to 375 per kg. Raisin, Rs. 125 per kg last year, is now Rs. 120 per kg.

However, old stocks are likely to run out soon and since sufficient quantities are not coming from Afghanistan due to delay in harvesting of the new crop, the inflow of dry fruits might be affected in future. The situation might get worse if the war prolongs and the whole border along Afghanistan is sealed.

Dry fruits like green, black and brown raisin and apricots are grown in villages near major cities like Jalalabad, Mazar-e- Sharief, Kabul and Kandahar.

Even in the past, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent turmoil did not affect the dry fruits trade very much. Adding to their easy availability is the fact that a variety of dry fruits are imported from Iran and Turkey, and the all-time favourite varieties of almond kernel and figs come aplenty from areas around Los Angeles and California.

Consequently, dry fruit prices here have come down marginally, the festive season notwithstanding. With the floodgates thrown open now for imports through easy channels, many countries are dumping their products into India at low rates. This has affected the domestic industry which is struggling for survival.

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