Himachal Pradesh farmers expect a lower apple crop for the second consecutive year because of poor winter. | |
| "Even though the harvest is three months away, it seems the late winter snow did not cover up for the damage caused by the dry and not-so-cold winter," said Lekh Raj Chauhan, president, State Apple Growers' Association. |
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| A good apple crop needs a cold winter along with frequent snow. Industry observers are blaming global warming for the change in weather. "The failure of the crop this time will be truly back-breaking for the farmers who have not recovered from the last year's failure," Chauhan said. Last year, the hill state produced barely 2.65 lakh tonnes, which was less than half its produce of 5.40 lakh tonnes two years ago. |
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| "This time the crop is expected to be marginally better than the last year's, but it could still end up as a poor crop when the harvest ends in October," he said. Apple is grown in the mid hills of the state, with Shimla district alone accounting for about 80 per cent of the yield. |
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