Himachal Pradesh’s Apple Farmers Face Tough Harvest Amid Weather Woes
In the lush apple belt of Himachal Pradesh, often called the Apple Bowl of North India, farmers are battling a rough season. Heavy rains, fierce hailstorms, and a stubborn leaf drop disease have hammered apple production this year. On top of that, relentless downpours during harvest time and crumbling roads have made it even harder to get fruits to market, squeezing farmers’ profits tight.
Anil Deshta, a young orchardist from Shimla’s Tikkar area, shared his struggles with . "This year, the weather really hit us hard," he said. "Excessive rains damaged the leaves, and our apple quality suffered big time. Market prices didn’t even cover our production costs. The leaf drop disease made fruits drop too early, and broken roads delayed trips to the mandis, so we couldn’t get the prices we deserved. Overall production in our orchards dropped sharply too."
Deshta pointed out that even with lower yields, prices stayed rock-bottom because of the poor fruit quality. "The disease spread fast across orchards," he explained. "Horticulture experts had warned about leaf drop diseases before, but no government scientists showed up to help this time. We had to try sprays on our own—only a few of us controlled it, and most ended up with big losses."
He also vented about the rising costs of protection. "Every year, we put up anti-hail nets, but that means more labor and money," Deshta said. "We replace them often, and with prices falling, it’s getting tougher. If this keeps up, we might have to look at other options—apple farming’s future doesn’t look so promising anymore."
Another farmer, also named Anil, who picks up extra work in apple packaging to make ends meet, echoed the frustration. "The weather ruined our harvest this year," he told . "We didn’t get the gains we hoped for. Low market rates came from poor quality and reduced production. Roads washed out, leaving fruit stuck in storage for days. Even top varieties like Royal Delicious couldn’t shine, and newer ones aren’t picking up steam either."
Breaking down the numbers, Anil said averages hovered around ₹1,000 for a 20-kg box. "But just harvesting, packaging, and transport cost about ₹500 per box—not even counting yearly expenses like compost, fertilizers, pruning, and labor," he added. "A farmer who invested ₹5 lakh might only recover ₹2.5 lakh this season. Our income has basically halved."
These challenges highlight bigger issues for apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh: soaring input costs, unpredictable weather shocks, and ongoing diseases that put the whole industry at risk. Many worry that without more government support and expert advice, the state’s famous apple economy could face even bigger troubles ahead.
The region boasts about 11 lakh hectares of cultivable land, with 2 lakh hectares in fruit orchards and 1 lakh dedicated to apples—that’s half the fruit-growing space. It churns out around 5.5 lakh metric tons of apples each year, pumping over ₹5,500 crore into the local economy.
So far, nearly 1.9 crore apple boxes have reached markets, and the season wraps up in about two weeks. For now, Himachal’s apple growers are holding on, hoping for better days in the apple harvest ahead.
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