Himachal apple output at 12-year low

With the apple harvest over in Himachal Pradesh, production has declined to the lowest in 12 years, officials say.

The entire production this year is estimated to be less than 13 million boxes This includes apple sold, in boxes and gunny bags (each box weighs 24 kg). The majority of the harvest is over by late October. Only last year the state had record production of 44.6 million boxes.

Experts say unsuitable weather in spring led to crop failure. When apple trees bloom in April, clear sunny weather is needed for proper pollination. This year, there was frequent rain and snow in higher areas.

Extremely cold weather caused major damage to blooming of trees. This resulted in poor crop. Also, in May and June, the standing crop was damaged by frequent hailstorm, further affecting the output.

HP produces 40 per cent of the country’s apples. The rest of the crop is produced mostly in Jammu & Kashmir. In recent years, Uttarakhand has also started producing some apple.

The production in 1999 was almost 10 million boxes. This year’s output at 13 million boxes is seen as worse than 1999, since the area under cultivation has grown over the years.

Also, a lot of orchards planted 20 years ago are now fully grown and, so, have higher crop potential.

Shimla district, which accounts for around 80 per cent of the entire yield of the state, saw a huge fall. Many farmers say they recorded the lowest output ever in the last 30 to 50 years of the business.