WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Apple Assoc. has announced that India has dropped its tariffs on U.S. grown apples.

The announcement followed a meeting between India’s head of state Narendra Modi and President Biden last week. According to a U.S. Apple announcement, representatives from U.S. Apple were invited guests at the White House at the arrival ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Modi. “We were honored to be part of this important day for U.S.-India relations,” said U.S. Apple President and CEO Jim Bair. As part of the deal India will remove its retaliatory tariffs within 90 days. Bair said the tariffs against U.S. apples, enacted in 2018, effectively shut off the Indian market to U.S. growers. U.S. Apple’s board of directors met with White House staff in March and advocated for this resolution. Bair said he applauds the work of the Biden administration and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that achieved what he described as an important victory.

Bair provided some details. “We normally export about a third of the crop, about a billion dollars’ worth,” he said. “Since 2018, U.S. apple growers have lost $500 million worth of export sales due to India’s tariffs. 95 percent of the U.S. apple exports come from Washington state, but when those apples aren’t exported, they stay in the U.S. and tend to drive apple prices down.” 

Also according to Bair, just because the tariffs have been dropped doesn’t mean that U.S. growers will automatically regain that market; all this does is allow U.S. apple growers a chance to try and regain as much of the market as they can. He listed some other trade issues that apple growers have overseas, namely China, which also closed off its market to U.S. apples in 2018 the same way India did; and the European Union (E.U.), which forbids apples that have been treated with pesticides. Bair said the E.U. wants to have all its apples be organic.

“We are just thrilled to get India back as an apple export market,” Bair added. “Michigan is expected to have a really great crop this year and so is Washington, so the timing couldn’t be better.” The latest crop progress report from the USDA for Michigan seemed to confirm that optimism. “Crop potential is generally good in the Southeast – better than expected in view of last year’s big crop,” the report from June 20 stated. “In the West Central, early apple varieties like Zestar and Idared had fruitlets that were 35 to 40 millimeters. Jonagold and Honeycrisp fruitlets measured 25 to 30 millimeters. Gala and EverCrisp fruitlets were 18 to 24 millimeters. In the Northwest, Honeycrisp were 16.5 millimeters and Gala were 17.5 millimeters.” Bair said the fact that Red Delicious apples are popular in India is fortuitous, since sales of that variety in the United States have fallen in recent years.