What upset Himachal’s applecart

Kuldeep Chauhan in Shimla 

Himachal Pradesh’s  apple growers had many things going for them this season. Good snowfall, required winter chill and spring moisture, the lockdown in Kashmir (the largest apple producer in India), increase in import duties on the apple from the US and a ban on the import of the fruit from China... All this should have resulted in a windfall for the apple growers of the hill state. Surprisingly, it did not. The apple market has been quite sluggish this season, and the orchardists are getting poor prices for their produce. Ironically, consumers are shelling out around Rs 100 per kg for A-grade fruit in and outside the state.

Disappointed and angry, the horticulturists are alleging that a dirty nexus between fruit corporates, traders, retailers and commission agents is deliberately keeping the prices down. Rakesh Singha, CPM MLA from Theog and Himachal Seb Utpadak Sangh president, backs the allegations. “The favourable circumstances should have fetched good prices for the Himachal orchardists this time but did not. It clearly shows the prices are not being determined by the principle of demand and supply but are being manipulated by the nexus of fruit corporates, traders and commission agents,” said Singha. “Apples are being purchased at an average price of Rs 25 to  Rs 35 per kg from the horticulturists. Once purchased at such low rates, this apple will be stored in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores for about five months and then sold for a minimum of  Rs 90 to  Rs 120 per kg from January to May, earning huge profits for the stockists.” The apple grown in higher altitudes, which arrives in the market September onwards, lends itself well to storage. 

Wrong estimates 

Incidentally, the state’s Department of Horticulture, too, contributed to the distress of the orchardists. “The department officials predicted a bumper crop this season, forecasting the arrival of 3.8 crore cartons in the market,” says Ashutosh Chauhan, an apple grower from Ratnari, Kotkhai. “Given that the Rs 2-crore mark is yet to be breached and 70 per cent of the crop has already been harvested, the official estimate appears way off the mark.” As a result of the exaggerated estimate, the prices crashed in August after the initial exuberance. “The wrong estimate hurt the interests of the growers having orchards in middle and higher altitudes,” said Manjit Rathore from the Himalayan Apple Growers Society (HAGS), Jubbal.

Harvesting unripe fruits 

Besides, some apple growers, too, are responsible for the crash in prices after a good opening in July. “To cash in on good rates, many growers harvested unripe fruits, leading to a glut in the market and the subsequent drop in prices,” says Lokinder Bisht, the Progressive Growers Association president. These farmers reportedly used ethrel spray generously to ripen the fruit. As the overuse of ethrel spray reduces the shelf life of the fruit considerably, it resulted in losses to the loaders. “The commission agents are now buying the fruit at low prices to compensate the loaders,” says a disgruntled orchardist. Also, some big orchardists dumped B-grade fruit in the market while storing top-quality fruit in CA stores. Besides, the heavy rains and floods in various states also hit the apple demand. The loaders were reluctant to buy the apple at higher prices following a slowdown in demand due to rains. “The traders suffered huge losses due to floods and incessant rainfall. The prices dropped by over  Rs 40 per cent later on, and currently a carton of apple is fetching anything between Rs 500 to Rs 1400,” said Chauhan. Also, the heavy rains triggered landslides and blockage of roads in the apple belt, disrupting the transportation of the fruit and the availability packaging material. 

Little help from govt agencies

Government agencies such as HPMC, HIMFED and APMC, meant to help the growers and facilitate the sale of their produce, have been largely indifferent to the plight and problems of the apple growers. No efforts have been made to sell apple per kg instead of per carton, and to stop the practice of transporting low-quality fruit in gunny bags.  

The shortage of packaging materials such as trays, delay in payment and overcharging of market fee, too, have been rampant. Besides, the lack of post-harvest facilities such as cold stores to store the fruit added to the distress of the orchardists. “Apple growers have no option but to send their entire produce to the market when ripe due to the lack of proper storage and processing facilities. It causes glut and the price crashes,” said Bisht.

Chemical overdose 

Apart from the alleged nexus that’s depriving them of good prices, the apple growers have much more to contend with. The over eight lakh families of the state involved in the apple business are also facing other challenges like climate change, repeated pest attacks, and an onslaught of spurious chemicals and fertilisers. Also, the scientists, government agencies and orchardists do not seem to be on the same page in their approaches to contain the maladies like scab, premature leaf fall, powdery mildew, core rot, sun burns, etc. The result is poor quality of apples and repeated crop failures. “We adhered to the spray schedule but the spurious chemicals are ineffective to control fungal infections and pests on apple trees,” the orchardists complain.  “There is no support from the research and development and extension wings of the horticultural university.”

The scientists, however, feel the orchardists are also responsible for their problems. “The farmers are dealing directly with chemical companies and using pesticides, gibberellins and hormones, which are not meant for traditional Red Delicious apples here,” says Dr Vijay Thakur, former vice-chancellor and a senior fruit scientist at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan. “The excessive use of chemicals has harmed apple trees. Farmers should work on replenishing the depleted carbon and eroded top soil and honeybees activities to produce quality apples. Prescription for use of chemicals should come from scientists, not from the agents of chemical companies. Unfortunately, that’s the trend now,” he observes.

Is someone listening? 

Sensitive to issue, says Horticulture director

Dr ML Dhiman, director, Horticulture, says the department is sensitive to the farmer issues.  “We still hope the production will be near 3.50 crore cartons this year. Till Thursday, about 1.98 crore cartons had been dispatched outside the state. More than 5 lakh cartons are arriving in the markets every day,” said Dhiman. “HPMC and Himfed are taking care of shortage of trays, procuring culled apples from the farmers for processing and provide post-harvest facilities.  The farmers should adhere to the spray schedule prepared by the scientists to check pests and fungal infections in orchards.” 

Rs 4,000 crore The size of Himachal’s apple economy. Over eight lakh families depend directly or indirectly on apple business. 

Rs 500 On an average, an orchardist incurs a cost of roughly Rs 500 to produce one carton of apple 

Mute spectator

Orchardists have absolutely no say in determining the price of their produce. Once the fruit reaches the market, they are totally on the mercy of the commission agents and the loaders. Even if they feel their produce is being undersold, they can’t do much except being a mute spectator.  — Pawan Sharma, an apple grower

High input cost

The input cost has increased a lot. Apple growers are paying Rs 400 per day to labourers, higher freight for transportation, much more fertilisers and fungicide. On an average, a farmer spends roughly Rs 500 to produce one box of apple. What will he earn if he gets Rs 500 for a box.  — Deepak Banchta, an apple grower