By Vishal Gulati
Shimla, Aug 23 (IANS) The revival of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh, India’s main apple basket, has rekindled the hopes of farmers of getting an optimum output from the surviving apple crop after drought-like conditions led to 35-40 percent drop in production.

“Continuous rain spells in the past 15 days, though much delayed, is certainly beneficial where the leftover apple crop is ripening and attaining optimum size,” S.P. Bhardwaj, joint director at the Solan-based Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, told IANS.

According to him, regular rainfall has increased the moisture content in the soil, which has brought much respite to the crop that was under stress for a long time.

“Now, the moisture is sufficient to help the apple crop to attain the optimum size (85 to 110 mm) and to get the true colour. Moreover, the high day and low night temperatures are ideal for fruit ripening. Had the drought prolonged, the situation could have been precarious,” Bhardwaj said.

Drought-like conditions can either lead to the fruit withering or remaining undersized.

“The apple crop is down by 35-40 percent with some areas reporting a total wipe-out, especially in the mid-hills, due to unfavourable weather that has affected the crop’s prospects after the bumper production in 2008,” said horticulture director Gurdev Singh.

He said the apple arrival from other regions of the state would pick up in the next 15 days as the fruit is being harvested only in the Shimla region.

The meteorological office here said the Kothgarh-Thanedar apple belt in Shimla district, the entire Kullu Valley and Mandi district, where the crop is ready for harvesting, received sufficient rain in the past two weeks.

“The monsoon is reviving, but slowly. Till date, the hill state received 290 mm average rainfall against the normal average of 537.6 mm,” meteorological office director Manmohan Singh said.

Naresh Daulta, an apple grower in Shimla, said: “The recent rains have cheered us. Though we will not get a bumper harvest, it will certainly help the crop mature fast.”

The total production this season will be around 18 million boxes of 25 kg each, considerably less than last year’s 26 million crates, Singh said.

The maximum output - of 28.6 million crates - was recorded in 2006-07.

State Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta said 25 lakh (2.5 million) boxes of apples have been transported out of the state so far. In the previous year, over 75 lakh (7.5 million) boxes had been despatched.

“We have reports of a bad harvest in various areas, but the farmers are getting record prices, which will definitely compensate their losses,” the minister said.

The new apple crop from Himachal Pradesh is still selling at Rs.50-70 a kg in the wholesale market at Azadpur in New Delhi, said Bhagwan Dass of Bhagwan Dass and Co.

“The time the prices are quite high due to low output in Himachal Pradesh. Even the undersize fruit is getting good prices. The rates may fall when apple arrival from Kashmir begins in September,” he added.

State Chief Secretary Asha Swaroop said the loss to the horticulture sector alone is more than Rs.250 crore (Rs.2.5 billion) this year.

Apple-procuring agencies like Container Corporation of India, Adani Agri Fresh and Dev Bhumi Cold Chain are yet to start buying fruit aggressively.

Himachal Pradesh is one of India’s major apple-producing regions, with over 200,000 families engaged in the cultivation of the fruit.

The fruit economy of the state is around Rs.2,000 crore and is flourishing mainly in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba districts.

Besides apple, other fruits like pears, peaches, cherries, apricots, kiwi, strawberry, olive, almonds and plums are the major commercial crops of the state.