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Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday staged a protest against the Centre's move to cut import duty on apples procured from the United States.
Expressing concerns over the decision, the PDP protesters claimed it would have an adverse effect on the livelihoods of domestic apple growers inJammu and Kashmir as well as elsewhere in the country. Putting forward the demand that the Centre reverse its decision to reduce duty on apples imported from the US, they said the move risks putting an additional fiscal burden on apple growers in the country and wreck their livelihoods. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, PDP spokesperson Suhail Bukhari said, "Several PDP workers held a protest today against the government's decision to reduce import duty on apples procured from the US. The protest was staged outside our party headquarters inSrinagar." During the protest, the PDP workers held up banners and chanted slogans against the Centre over the reduction of import duty on apples from US and demanded that the decision be withdrawn at the earliest. They also flagged risks of a negative impact of the move on the domestic apple industry. Earlier the Opposition, including the Congress, came down heavily on the Centre over the decision to reduce customs duty on apples imported from the US, saying that the decision would impact growers in the country. However, the Centre reiterated that the move to slash import duty on apples from the US would have no "negative" impact on domestic growers. (ANI)
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