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Journalism of Courage
As he moves briskly between the apple trees of his orchard, Ankit Kumar briefly looks up at the sky that’s heavy with dark clouds. He quickens his pace to reach the workers plucking apples and dropping them into plastic crates on the damp ground.
Kumar tells them to hurry up — the truck parked by the roadside is only half-full; they will have to get the apples to the wholesale market at Shirallu village, nearly 50 km away, in Shimla’s Theog tehsil, before it rains.
Farmers in Himachal Pradesh, which has the second highest apple production in the country after Jammu & Kashmir, have had a rough run over the last few years: from unpredictable weather conditions hampering the quality and crop yield, to a five-fold increase in imports in less than a decade, and increased input costs.
This year’s heavy rainfall, that caused death and devastation across the state, has added to their challenges. As of mid-September, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 145 major landslides, 98 flash floods and 46 cloudbursts since the onset of the monsoon on June 20.
Sanjay Chauhan, the convener of the Joint Forum of Farmers in Himachal Pradesh, said the rains and the damaged roads have ruined 60% of the state’s apple crop.
“Unseasonal rains in March damaged about 30% of the crops. The unusually heavy rainfall since June 15 led to premature fruit drop. Many roads were damaged and farmers couldn’t get their crops to the markets. Currently, growers are getting only 50% of what they should be getting,” he says.
In Kumar’s orchard, rotten apples litter the ground, while those still hanging from the trees have lost their jubilant reds. A 60-year-old apple tree, the oldest in his orchard, is now infested with pests. “My orchard usually produces around 3,000 to 4,000 boxes (each with 24 kg) of apples per season. This monsoon, at least 1,000 boxes have been damaged. But I am lucky. Since my orchard is next to the main road, I was able to send my apples to the markets,” Kumar says.
Apple cultivation is the backbone of Himachal Pradesh’s economy, with the crop grown on 1,16,240 hectares. At least 2 lakh families in the state are directly and indirectly dependent on apple cultivation, which sees an annual turnover of nearly Rs 6,000 crore.
This monsoon, the state recorded an average rainfall of 1,010.9 mm — 46% over the normal of 692.1 mm — making it one of the wettest years in 20 years. With incessant rains triggering landslides that have blocked or damaged roads, orchards in remote areas such as Rohru, over 100 km above Shimla, have not been able to get their crop to the market. There have been reports of growers throwing away their apples in drains and rivers.
At Ramesh Kumar’s waterlogged Thanedar-based orchard, which produces around 2,500 boxes per season, the sodden ground has more leaves than the trees. The leaves that remain on the trees are yellow and wilted. Though the branches have big, round apples, most are covered with black spots.
He said excessive rain had led to the spread of root asphyxiation (a fungal infestation) at his orchard. The infestation deprives the roots of oxygen, preventing proper nutrient and water uptake. “It results in premature leaf drop, which allows the sunlight to directly hit apples, making them lose their shine and colour,” he says.
Then there is the Marssonina leaf blotch, which appears as dark brown-black spots on leaves, leading to their rapid and complete loss. “What good is an apple that’s blackened?” says Kumar.
Nearly 91 km from Shimla is Haryana’s Pinjore market, the hub of Himachal’s apple trade. In August, when the rains were at their peak, the market was inaccessible. Trade has picked up since then, but is still sluggish.
Amar Dogra, a retired government school teacher and a Shimla-based orchard owner who was at the market, says, “In August, not many (apple growers) made it to the market. The high humidity and heavy rains ruined the apples packed in cartons.”
While the situation has improved, Dogra said several roads, especially those around Rohru are still damaged. “Truck drivers have been risking their lives to bring apples from there to the market. We are indebted to them,” he says.
Besides the rain, warmer temperatures in recent years have led to a drop in the quality and yield of apples, a temperate crop that requires cold weather with gradual warming and moisture. Most varieties of apples need between 1,000 and 1,600 hours at or below 7 degrees during winters to break bud dormancy, grow flowers and develop the fruit after spring.
The state has witnessed an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius in the annual mean temperature between 1901 and 2023, according to the India Meteorological Department’s ‘Statement on Climate for the state of Himachal Pradesh: 2023’.
In 2015-2016, apple yields in the state touched 7 tonne/hectare, followed by erratic yields since then: dipping to 6.26 tonnes/hectare in 2019-2020 to just 4.3 tonnes/hectare in 2023-2024.
Mahindra Singh, whose orchard in Theog produced 3,000-4,000 boxes per season, says, “With the chilling requirement not being met, bud break is erratic. This results in reduced fruit set (the number of apples harvested at maturity), poor fruit quality, and lower overall yields.”
The erratic, delayed and reduced snowfall patterns across the state too have contributed to the deteriorating quality of apples.
Surinder Chauhan, a Rohru-based apple grower, says, “Earlier, we received 3-4 feet of snow. Now, it has reduced to just half a foot. Less snow during peak winter season means water scarcity during the dry season, lack of moisture in the soil and increased risk of plant diseases such as apple scab.”
To improve the quality and yield, apple growers have stepped up their use of pesticides and manure. Dogra says, “Ab apples mein khushboo nahi hai (Apples have lost their fruity smell).”
Kapil Dantha, who has been growing apples for almost three decades, says he has never had it this bad. “My apples are selling at the same price as in 2010. Last year, the top-quality apples sold for Rs 1,500-Rs 3,000 per box, medium quality for up to Rs 1,500 and grade-B (smaller and slightly out of shape apples) for Rs 1,000-Rs 1,500. This year, grade-B apples are selling for Rs 200-Rs 500.”
The import of foreign apples from Turkey, Iran, Poland, Italy, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States is yet another threat to their livelihood.
According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, import of fresh apples went up from 2.83 lakh tonnes in 2018-2019 to 5.57 lakh tonnes in 2024-2025. Dhanta says, “Imported apples are sold for Rs 150 per kg, while our apples cost around Rs 120 per kg. The imported varieties are shinier, juicier and bright red. The customers don’t mind paying a little extra for them.”
