Unfavourable weather upsets Himachal's applecart

Calcutta News.Net
Monday 6th July, 2009 (IANS)

The prolonged dry spell and lack of adequate snowfall could bring down Himachal Pradesh's apple production by 35-40 percent, officials here say.

The hill state is one of India's major apple-producing regions, with more than 90 percent of the produce going to the domestic market.

'The prolonged dry spell during winter and summer has badly hit the apple crop. As per my estimate, the total production would be 35-40 percent lower than last year,' state horticulture director Gurdev Singh told IANS.

The total production this season will be around 18 million boxes of 25 kg each, considerably less than last year's 26 million crates, Singh said.

The maximum output - of 28.6 million crates - was recorded in 2006-07.

S.P. Bhardwaj, joint director at the Solan-based Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, said the apple crop will be affected by frequent changes in climatic conditions.

'Frequent changes in climatic conditions will reduce the overall production. Irregular and very little or no snowfall during winter and prolonged dry spells this summer in the mid and high hills have hit the crop. Field reports indicate there will be a decline in yield,' Bhardwaj said.

According to him, the apple crop at the moment is in the 'walnut stage' (the stage in which the apple fruit is about the size of a walnut). The appropriate size of the fruit is 85 to 110 mm and it will take some more time for it to reach that level.

'High moisture content enables the fruit to attain the optimum size. For this, regular showers are needed now. If the monsoon remains active till the harvesting season (July to October), then the loss would be of about 35 percent. Otherwise, the production would go down by not less than 50 percent,' he added.

Added Sanjay Negi, an apple farmer from Shimla district: 'The recent rains are good news. But the overall production will decline.'

Meanwhile, some early apple varieties have reached the market.

Horticulture director Singh said some varieties like Red Gold, Red June and Tydeman's Early Worcester have reached markets from orchards in upper Shimla.

Cartons of the fruit have already been despatched to Delhi, Chandigarh and Amritsar and are 'fetching good prices', he said.

Nitu Chauhan, a seller at the Dhalli wholesale fruit market near here, said the price of the early varieties ranged between Rs.400 and Rs.600 per 25-kg box.

Himachal Pradesh is one of India's major apple-producing regions, with more than 200,000 families engaged in the cultivation of the fruit.

Besides apples, other fruits like cherries, pears, peaches, apricots, kiwi, strawberry, olive, almonds and plums are the major commercial crops of the state.

The economy of the hill state is highly dependent on horticulture, besides hydroelectric power and tourism, with the annual fruit industry being worth about Rs.2,000 crore (Rs.20 billion).

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

Email this story to a friend

Have your say on this story