Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 26 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh's apple belt, popularly known as the 'Apple Bowl of North India,' is reeling from a challenging season as heavy rains, hailstorms, widespread leaf drop disease, and repeated downpours during the harvest have severely affected production. Damaged roads in several areas have further delayed transportation to markets, cutting into farmers' profits.

Young orchardist Anil Deshta from the Tikkar area of Shimla district told ANI that this year's weather hit production severely. 'We were badly affected by excessive rains. The leaves got damaged, and the quality of the apples dropped. Market rates did not even match the production cost. Leaf drop diseases caused fruits to fall early. Additionally, the broken roads delayed transportation to mandis, so we couldn't fetch the expected prices. The production in orchards was also far less this year. Every season, production costs keep rising, but the market keeps going down,' Deshta said.

He added that even low production did not translate into better prices, as the fruit quality was poor. 'Diseases spread across orchards. The Horticulture University had earlier identified such leaf drop diseases, but no government scientist or expert came to advise us this time. Farmers were left to experiment on their own with sprays. Only a few were able to control it, and the majority of us suffered losses,' he said.

Deshta further pointed to the increasing expenses on hail nets. 'Every year, we install anti-hail nets, but that adds to labour and capital costs. Nets have to be replaced regularly, and with falling prices, our burden increases. If things continue like this, we may have to think of alternatives, because the future of apple farming no longer looks bright,' he remarked.

Another young farmer, also named Anil, who now supplements his income by working in apple packaging, expressed his frustration. 'This year's weather ruined the harvest. We did not get the benefits we hoped for. Market rates were low because quality was poor and production was down. Roads broke, so fruit remained in storage for days. Even premium varieties like Royal Delicious struggled. New varieties are not catching up either,' he said.

'On average, we got only about 1,000 per 20-kg box, while harvesting, packaging, and transport alone cost around 500 per box, not counting year-round expenses like compost, fertilisers, pruning, and labour. A farmer who spent 5 lakh on production could barely recover 2.5 lakh this year. Our income has effectively halved,' he added further.

Farmers in Himachal continue to grapple with rising input costs, frequent weather shocks, and recurring diseases that threaten the sustainability of apple farming. Many now worry that unless government support and scientific intervention increase, the state's iconic apple economy may face deeper crises in the coming years.

Himachal Pradesh has approximately 11 lakh hectares of cultivable land, of which 2 lakh hectares are under fruit orchards, and 1 lakh hectares are dedicated solely to apple cultivation, accounting for 50% of the fruit-growing area. The state produces around 5.5 lakh metric tons of apples annually, contributing over 5,500 crore to the state economy.

So far, nearly 1 Crore 90 Lakh apple boxes have been transported to the markets, and the season is almost coming to an end this year, in about two weeks. (ANI)