Apple production in Himachal likely to fall by more than 50% this year, courtesy extreme weather

The production of apples, which contributes significantly to the economy of Himachal Pradesh, may see a huge decline this time. Experts have estimated that apple production this time may be half of last year due to the vagaries of weather.

There was no snowfall in the winter season. This was followed by rain during flowering in the plants, followed by hailstorms when the fruit became walnut-sized and heavy rain and floods when the fruit was ready. All this has led to heavy losses for apple growers.

Around 33.6 million apple boxes were traded last year, according to state horticulture department data. Every year, apple produce worth Rs 4-5 crore is traded. But this time, apple production is estimated to be reduced to 1.5-2 crore (15-20 million) boxes. Apples are grown on 113,000 hectares in the state, according to government data.

Orchards in the apple-growing belt of Shimla and Kullu have suffered severe damages due to heavy rains between July 7 and July 10. According to horticulture department data, the horticulture sector has suffered a total loss of Rs 144 crore during this monsoon season.

The heavy rains have severely damaged roads due to which horticulturists are facing difficulties in delivering the crop to the markets. Due to lack of road facilities in many places in Shimla district, horticulturists have been seen throwing their apple crop in rivers and drains.

In Himachal Pradesh, more than 500,000 people are directly associated with apple cultivation.

Sanjeev Sunta, owner of Sunta Fruit Company, said, “The yield of apples this time is low several districts of the state including Shimla. The cultivators from whom I buy apples, say that this time the yield is less than half.”

Sanjay Chauhan, co-convenor of The Samyukta Kisan Manch and an apple cultivator, said horticulturists of the state have suffered a loss of about Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000 crore. “There are many areas where 60 to 80 per cent of the apple crop has been damaged. Horticulturists should be compensated for the losses caused by the weather,” he added.

Kullu district’s Hira Lal, who cultivates apples in seven bighas, said the horticulturists who did not install anti-hail nets have suffered a lot this time.

In fact, the state’s area affected by hailstorms is increasing. Apple growers Rohit Sharma and Devendra Heta said till a decade ago, apple-dominated areas like Kumarsen, Kotgarh and Theog were protected from hailstorms. But now, these suffer from hailstorms too.

Sohan Thakur, an apple grower and convenor of the Apple Farmers Federation of India, said the subsidy given by the government for hail nets was miniscule.

“The government gives a maximum subsidy of only Rs 1 lakh 20 thousand. That is just enough to cover an orchard of two bighas. It also takes many years to get this subsidy,” Thakur said.

He claimed that horticulturists in the Theog block who had applied for the subsidy in 2017, had just started getting it. “If a cultivator has to install a hail net in a 10-bigha orchard, it will cost at least Rs 4 lakh,” he added.

Experts say the changing weather is proving to be harmful for crops like apples. S P Bhardwaj, a retired director of research and horticulture expert from the University of Horticulture, Nauni, said this is the first time this year that such bad weather has been witnessed.

“In April and May, there was more rainfall than normal, due to which the bees could not even pollinate. It had a huge impact on apple yields,” he said.

Nisha Rani, assistant professor of environmental sciences at Himachal Pradesh University, said an altitude shift is happening in the apple belt due to climate change.

At the same time, climate change is also an important cause for hailstorms. “Because of the change in temperature, the amount of moisture is increasing, due to which hailstorms are occurring in those areas, where there were less or none earlier. The size of the hail is also increasing,” she said.

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