Fruit trade :Rise
in quarantine charges
The Union agriculture
ministry has effected a 15-fold increase in quarantine inspection charges for India’s
fresh and dry fruit trade.
According to industry
estimates, getting each consignment of commonly imported fruits cleared by the quarantine
and fumigation inspectors would now cost a company Rs.15 a box for apples, Rs. 10-12 a box
for apples, Rs. 15 a box for mandarin oranges, and Rs.3 per tray for peaches and kiwi
fruit.
For dry fruits like
almonds and raisins, the charges till now were sixty paise per kg. The new tariffs are
expected to raise this to at least Rs.2 a kg. For a container of 20,000 kg, this would
work out to a whopping Rs.40,000, which is completely unjust, sources said.
With the market
sentiment depressed, traders say there may be a drop in total volumes as most small
importers would be unable to survive in the current landed costs scenario.
It is reported that
the fresh increase in quarantine inspection charges is going to further queeze profits.
Importers say the increase is unjustified and inexpensible, as the government has given no
assurance of an improvement in the service. |