Apple growers shifting focus to quality from quantity

With private firms entering Himachal Pradesh and buying apples directly from growers, the state’s growers are shifting focus to quality.

Apple growers in Himachal have been concentrating on quantity rather than quality as they were selling only at the traditional mandis, where there were hardly any quality benchmarks. However, with the arrival of big private players such as Adani, Mother Diary and Dev Bhoomi Cold Chain group, who purchase directly from the farmers, the focus is shifting to quality.

According to horticulture expert S P Bhardwaj of the Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Solan, it is the desire of the farmer to get maximum yield from his crop that makes him lose his focus on the quality aspect.

Bhardwaj maintains that in Himachal, apple growers have been using grafted varieties, while growers worldwide have been trying the clone-based root stock.

The biggest advantage of using the clone-based root stock is that along with good quality, it gives uniformity to the yield, in terms of size. He said that though a few farmers have taken to the clone-based variety, a majority of the afrmers are yet to shift.

Hari Chand, president, Pragitishil Kisan Sangh, said that with the private players ready to purchase fruti directly from the fields and at a pre-quoted price, it is opened a way for the farmers who can save themselves from the clutches of the commission agents.

If a farmer does not agree to the pre-quoted price of one player, he is free to sell his produce to other players, unlike the mandi system, where the commission agents arbitrarily fix the price of the produce.

Govt apathy
Apple, the major source of income for farmers in Himachal Pradesh, continues to be a neglected area of interest for the government.

Though more than 80 years have passed since apple cultivation started in the state, farmers believe the state has shown apathy towards their plight.

Hari Chand, a progressive farmer from the Thanedhar region in Shimla, maintains that it is sad to see that the traditional mandi has failed to graduate with time, and still lacks the basic grading and sorting facilities for apple.

He says that the traditional market of apple is ruled by commission agents who arbitrarily grade the apple and quote prices without specific parameters. Also, the absence of proper storage facilities is not helping the cause of apple growers.

While the world is relying on Controlled Atmospheric (CA) storage units for storing the apples, in Himachal, there is a dearth of CA stores with just three that have been opened by a private player. The advantage of CA stores is that farmers can store the produce for a longer duration in comparison to simple cold storages.

Horticulture expert S P Bhardwaj of the Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, says CA stores are essential, as apple is transported outside the state during the monsoon. With most transporters covering their vehicles, the temperature inside increases, thus exposing the fruit to the risk of decay.

Hari Chand maintains that more CA stores in the state could go a long way in solving the storage problems of apple growers which could finally streamline the problem of traditional mandi as well.

He says if the government encourages more private players to come to the state, not only could the farmers escape from the commission agents, it would also help them get the right price for their produce.