CHANDIGARH: Himachal Pradesh’s Rs 5000 crore apple industry have been badly affected after the monsoon wreaked havoc in the state.
The quality of the fruit has significantly dropped due to a fungal disease, which is causing the leaves and apples to fall prematurely. Hence, there are more culled apples.
The apple growers couldn’t transport their crops as the road connectivity was badly affected due to landslides trigerred by flash-floods, heavy rains and cloudbursts.
It is estimated that there will be a huge loss to the apple growers.
The road connectivity in the apple belts of the state has been affected. The apple growers in Kullu, Kinnaur, Shimla, Mandi, Chamba, and upper Shimla are facing an uphill task in sending apples as hundreds of damaged roads are still to be repaired.
In many areas, farmers are hiring workers to manually carry apple boxes across a damaged stretch of the roads and highway, thus raising the cost of transportation.
In Kinnaur, the frequent closure of National Highway 5 at Nigulsari has created problems for the farmers of the district.
There are scores of villages in Parvati and Banjar valleys where farmers had started harvesting but had to stop midway last month after the road connectivity was lost.
The apple growers couldn’t transport their crops as the road connectivity was badly affected due to landslides trigerred by flash-floods, heavy rains and cloudbursts.
It is estimated that there will be a huge loss to the apple growers.
The road connectivity in the apple belts of the state has been affected. The apple growers in Kullu, Kinnaur, Shimla, Mandi, Chamba, and upper Shimla are facing an uphill task in sending apples as hundreds of damaged roads are still to be repaired.
In many areas, farmers are hiring workers to manually carry apple boxes across a damaged stretch of the roads and highway, thus raising the cost of transportation.
In Kinnaur, the frequent closure of National Highway 5 at Nigulsari has created problems for the farmers of the district.
There are scores of villages in Parvati and Banjar valleys where farmers had started harvesting but had to stop midway last month after the road connectivity was lost.
On the other hand, the market rates have dropped to their lowest as the traders are reluctant to buy from local markets in Kullu and Mandi because the Kiratpur-Manali highway remained mostly blocked in August, resulting in a drop in the market rates.
Over 1.57 crore apple boxes have been marketed within and outside the state until now. The number of marketed boxes would have been higher if the roads were not blocked or washed in various parts of the apple belt.
Last year’s data, till September 11, shows that 1.13 crore boxes reached the market. This year’s high production, which is 45 lakh more boxes than last year, could be attributed to high production in the lower apple belts of the state, which has been nearly three times higher this year as compared to last year.
As till August 20 this year, over 88 lakh boxes had been marketed.
In the corresponding period last year, only around 32.6 lakh boxes had been marketed. The harvesting in the lower belts normally ends by August 15.
Talking to TNIE, Sanyukt Kisan Manch (SKM) Himachal Pradesh, convener Harish Chauhan said that the apple season is at its peak, but as the roads had been blocked due to landslides, the apples could not be transported from the orchards to the market and in many instances, the apple crop got rotten lying in the orchards or in the trucks. Now, slowly, the road connectivity is opening up.
“The apple growers have suffered major losses this season, much worse than the 2023 natural disaster. The farmers could not send their crop to the market for days as roads were blocked, due to heavy rainfall, and a fungal disease attack had caused apples and leaves to fall prematurely.
“The final data will come later once the situation is completely assessed. But it is estimated that around 40 per cent of the apples fell in all the orchards across the state and about 60 to 70 per cent leaves fell,’’ he claims.
Chauhan says that due to the fungal disease and the premature drop, the `A’ grade apples, which cost between Rs 1,500 to Rs 2000 a box in the market, now cost Rs 700 to Rs 800. The apples are now marked in ‘B’ or ‘C’ category as stains have appeared on them due to premature fall, small size and faded colour.
“Due to all these factors it is estimated that the apple growers might suffer a loss of Rs 800 to Rs 1000 crore, but final figures can be confirmed after the complete report,’’ he claimed.
Sources said that around 43,930 MT of apples have been bought under the Market Intervention Scheme until now through 227 collection centres opened in various parts of the apple growing area.
The apples bought through MIS until now are significantly higher compared to the corresponding period last year, when just a little over 15,000 MT apple were procured.
The heavy hail and premature leaf fall are the major reasons behind such a spike in the procurement of culled apples this year.
“Last year, around 2.11 crore boxes of apples this year it was expected to be more than 3 lakh boxes but now it is estimated that around 2.50 to 3 crore boxes.
“Meanwhile, under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) around 43,000 metric tonnes of apples (`C’ and `D’ grade) have been bought and the figure might touch 50,000 MT. These apples are brought by the state government at Rs 12 per Kg and then pulp and juice is taken out and are also auctioned,’’ Chauhan said.
Another leading apple grower, Rakesh Singha, said, “The apple season this year is the historically worst as in early April hailstorms came, and at that time the apple crops blossomed thus it was affected then in May heavy rains started. Also, two fungal diseases: Alternaria and Marssonina attacked the crop, thus the leaves of the fruit did not develop.
“This year’s record apple crop has gone into the MIS. On the other hand, the production cost has been very high due to the fact that growers use sprays to save the crop and high transportation charges.’’ While Hemis Negi, Managing Director of Himachal Pradesh State Agriculture Marketing Board (HPAAMB) said that so far at least 1.61 crore boxes have reached the market of these 1.02 crore in Shimla and Kinnaur markets and 23.45 lakh cantons in Solan.
