Apple wine ready to take on market

SHIMLA, Jan 17: Kalpa8217; apple wine launched by the Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation HPMC has started becoming popular among the tourists, visiting Shimla and Manali towns. Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta disclosed this here today that the product, which is poised to provide a visible and marketable alternative, has received very good response in the local markets and HPMC, now would go in far its manufacture at a large scale. Currently the apple wine is sold only at two outlets of the HPMC on the Shimla-Kalka national highway at Jabli and on the Kullu-Manali highway at Jarol.

According to Bragta, the HPMC though had acquired the technology for the manufacture of the wine and other apple product last year but it was awaiting grant of licence for its commercial production. The product fulfils all international parameters, he said.

The horticulture minister said the HPMC and state government were working on a new marketing strategy for tapping domestic markets for sale of its products including fruit juices. He said a decision would soon be taken by the government to open new fruit juice-bars on the national highways and other popular tourist stops.

He said over 400 meteric tonnes of juice, which the previous Congress government would not sell off, had already been marketed outside the state. There had also been significant headway in the government8217;s initiative to supply the juice to some of the Central government agencies like Railways, central forces, defence, civil aviation including the Indian Airlines.

The state government, he indicated, was also working on a scheme to explore the possibilities of supplying apple juice under mid-day meal scheme of the education department.