Favourable climatic conditions, coupled with initiatives undertaken by farmers to grow small apple trees instead of large ones has significantly increased production of the commodity  Favourable climatic conditions have bolstered production of apples in North India this year as opposed to 2009, which was a lean year. Notably, in the major apple growing regions in Himachal Pradesh (HP), different apple varieties have started ripening earlier than usual, thereby increasing production. The Department of Horticulture, Himachal Pradesh expects apple output in 2009-10 to surpass the 5.10-lakh tonne mark recorded in 2008-09. Reasons for high apple production
According to Arjun Goel, executive manager of Kailash Estate, a large-sized apple dealer in Kullu, HP, “Besides favourable climatic conditions, use of organic fertilisers and latest machinery by farmers have helped in improving productivity of apples.”
In a bid to further increase apple production at the home turf, players engaged in apple cultivation are opting to cultivate new varieties. It has been noticed that apple cultivators are now growing small apple trees instead of the huge ones. By incorporating this new method, apple farmers are able to grow more number of trees, thereby leading to greater output.
Measures to be undertaken
According to Rohit Sinha, director of Kissan Mandi, a small-sized trader of apples in Shimla, HP, “Apples are mainly grown in the cold hilly regions. However, due to lack of proper transport facility, traders are unable to sell the commodity in a big way, which leads to huge wastage of the fruit. Therefore, the government should undertake certain initiatives such as improving roads for easy transportation, providing subsidy to the traders to purchase more trucks, ensure usage of proper packaging materials by cultivators in order to retain the quality of the apples.”
Moreover, most farmers are unaware about the sub-standard fertilisers and pesticides that are available in the market. Therefore, the government should conduct proper tests to check that the fertilisers and pesticides are authentic, which will help farmers to increase overall apple production in the country.
Sabrina Mitchell |
