Himachal to hold apple fests

To promote tourism in Himachal Pradesh, the authorities will organise apple festivals in Manali and Shimla, an official said on Thursday.

The festivals will be organised by the tourism and civil aviation department in association with the horticulture department.

In Manali, it will be held on September 6-7, while in Shimla on September 12-13, said a tourism department spokesman.

The main attraction will be an exhibition of the different varieties of apples grown in the state, food products and dishes made from apples as well as entertainment programmes.

The tourism department plans to take tourists to places near Shimla where apples are grown.

The hill state is one of India's major apple-producing regions, with more than 90 percent of the produce going to the domestic market.

The horticulture department estimates that Himachal is heading for a bumper crop of 37.5 million boxes of 20 kg each -- or 750,000 tonnes -- against the normal yield of 25 million boxes.