‘Apple man’ conferred with Padma Shri award

Hariman Sharma, who is popularly known as ‘apple man’ in lower Himachal, was conferred with the Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu for his exceptional contribution to Indian agriculture, in a function organised in New Delhi last evening.

Sharma, a resident of Paniyala village in the Ghumarwin Assembly constituency of Bilaspur district, received the prestigious award for the development of the HRMN-99 apple variety, which had transformed the farming of the fruit by allowing it to thrive in the tropical climate of India and paved the way for its nationwide cultivation.

Sharma told The Tribune that he was grateful to the Union Government for recognising his work and selecting him for the Padma Shri award. He added that getting the award from the President was a lifetime memory for him.

He said that this recognition would encourage him to work to support farmers in developing apple orchards in the lower areas of the state. He added that he had received 15 national awards and 10 state awards for his innovation in horticulture.

About the HRMN-99 variety, he said that this was a self-pollinating, low-chilling fruit that grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas in temperatures between 40°C and 45°C. He added that the variety was registered with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority.

Sharma said that his journey started in 1990 with a small nursery at his native village. He added that his experiment started bearing results in 2007 and now the journey had been recognised with the Padma Shri award.