J&K People’s Conference Leader Abdul Gani Vakil, today expressed serious concern over what he termed as a systematic uprooting of Kashmir’s fruit industry due to recent policy decisions of the Central Government. Vakil said that the recent apple trade deal between India and the United States, under which apples imported from America will attract only a nominal duty, poses a direct and severe threat to the apple growers of Kashmir. He warned that such a move will flood the Indian market with cheaper imported apples, drastically affecting the competitiveness of Kashmiri apples and leading to a loss of market share for local produce. Describing the fruit industry as the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, Vakil said that any setback to this sector would have devastating consequences. “If the fruit industry collapses, thousands of families dependent on apple cultivation, grading, packaging, transport, and allied activities will be pushed into economic distress,” he said, adding that the livelihood of lakhs of people is directly and indirectly linked to this sector. Abdul Gani Vakil appealed to the Prime Minister of India to take urgent steps to safeguard the interests of Kashmiri apple growers. He specifically demanded the imposition of 100% import duty on apples imported from the United States, stating that only such a protective measure can ensure fair competition and provide much-needed relief to growers who are already under immense stress. He emphasized that protecting the fruit industry is not merely an economic issue but a matter of social stability and survival for Jammu and Kashmir, and urged the Centre to act before irreversible damage is done.