Shimla, May 22 -- Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to increase the import duty on Turkish apples from 50% to at least 100%.

Sukhu said this will discourage the import of Turkish apples and safeguard the interests of the growers in the state. He said quantitative restrictions should also be imposed on apple imports.

In the letter, Sukhu said Himachal is known as the "apple bowl" of India and is renowned for delicious varieties of the fruit. Apple is a key cash crop for the state, generating an annual revenue of about Rs.4,500 crore.

Sukhu said about 10 lakh workdays are generated during harvesting of apple crop every year, providing direct and indirect...