With the decision to resolve six outstanding World Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes between the US and India through Mutually Agreed Solutions in June 2023, India has withdrawn additional duties on 8 US origin products, including apples, walnuts and almonds.
Additional duties of 20% each on apples and walnuts and Rs 20 per kg on almonds were imposed on the US's products in 2019 over and above the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) duty as a retaliation to the US's state protectionist measure of increasing tariffs on certain products.
These additional duties imposed by India on US-origin products have been withdrawn, but there is no reduction on the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) duty on apples, walnuts and almonds, which still applies to all imported products, including US-origin products, at 50%, 100% and Rs 100 per kg, respectively.
The market share of the US apples dwindled as other countries benefited from the imposition of additional retaliatory duties on the US apple and walnut imports. This is evident in the increase of apple imports from countries besides the US, from US$ 160 million in FY 2018-19 to US$ 290 million in FY 2022-23.
[ Rs 100 = €1.10 ]
For more information: pib.gov.in
