India sets apple, kiwi import quotas under New Zealand FTA

India has set out phased import quotas and conditions for apples, kiwifruit, Manuka honey and albumins from New Zealand under a free trade agreement due to take effect on October 20, 2026. The rules combine concessional tariffs with quantity limits and, for fruit, minimum prices and seasonal shipment windows.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade notified the allocation procedure on October 19, according to a PTI report carried by The Economic Times. The framework is intended to regulate market access while protecting domestic farmers.

Apples: no quota imports in the first year

India will not permit apple imports under the concessional quota in the agreement’s first year. The reported schedule provides for 35,000 tonnes in year two, 37,500 tonnes in year three, 40,000 tonnes in year four and 42,500 tonnes in year five. From year six, the annual quota will be 45,000 tonnes.

Eligible apples will attract a 25% duty, compared with the current 50% import duty cited in the report. To qualify, their cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value must be at least $1.25 per kilogram. Shipments will be allowed only between April 1 and August 31.

The first-year restriction concerns imports under this quota; it is not described as a blanket ban on New Zealand apples.

Kiwifruit gets conditional duty-free access

The kiwifruit quota will begin at 8,000 tonnes in the second year and increase gradually to 15,000 tonnes annually from the sixth year.

Imports within the quota will be duty-free if their CIF value is at least $1.80 per kilogram. The annual shipment window will run from April 1 to October 15. The report does not give the intermediate annual quota quantities.

Separate rules for honey and protein products

For Manuka honey, the quota will be 40 tonnes in the first year and 200 tonnes annually from the second. The honey must carry certification from New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries and satisfy specified CIF-value requirements. The report does not state those price thresholds or the applicable concessional duty.

Albumins, a category of protein products, will have an initial quota of 200 tonnes, rising to 3,000 tonnes annually from the fifth year. These imports will face an 11% duty and may arrive throughout the year.

Certificates will identify the Indian importer

New Zealand will allocate the quotas to exporters or producers through certificates identifying the product, permitted quantity and designated Indian importer.

Authorisations will apply only to the relevant quota year. Any unused quantity will expire with the authorisation rather than carry forward, according to the reported DGFT notice.