IFS officer asks Indians to give up dried apricots, figs. Here's why

Amid escalating diplomatic tensions, Indians have begun calling for a boycott of travel to Turkey following Ankara’s overt support for Pakistan in its ongoing hostilities with India. The backlash has not only been limited to social media activism, but has also prompted several Indian travel and hospitality businesses to suspend operations related to Turkey.

In a post that has since gone viral, Indian Foreign Service officer Anupam Sharma appealed to citizens to avoid purchasing Turkish agricultural exports, particularly dried figs (anjeer), dried apricots (khubani), and hazelnut chocolates, citing Turkey’s dominant position in the global market for these products.

“Turkey is the world’s top producer of Hazelnuts, Dried Figs (Anjeer), and Dried Apricots (Khubani). Most of what we consume comes from there. Now we know what to do with Hazelnut chocolates, imported Anjeer & Khubani. Nation first. Always,” Sharma wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), sharing accompanying images of the products he referenced.

His statement drew wide attention, with users on the platform debating how consumers could accurately identify the country of origin for such items. One user commented, “How do you know it’s from Turkey?” while another observed, “I wish, like the E-Commerce Platforms, every product we buy in the retail stores mentioned its country of origin.”

Another respondent highlighted that other nations also export similar products, writing, “Anjeer also comes from Afghanistan. How can we know that particular product is from Afghanistan, not Turkey?” Yet another questioned the selective outrage, stating, “And business as usual with China, which is providing Pakistan everything from missiles to submarines?”