Last Updated :
06 July 2009 at 14:30 IST
Himachal apple output likely to shrink by 40 percent
Commodity Online SIMLA : India’s largest Apple producing state, Himachal Pradesh is on the verge of its worst crop loss in recent times as prolonged dry spell and lack of adequate snowfall could bring down its apple production by 35-40 percent.
According to Himachal horticulture department, State’s total production this season will be around 18 million boxes of 25 kg each, considerably less than last year’s 26 million crates.
The maximum output of 28.6 million crates was recorded in 2006-07. More than 90 percent of the produce going to the domestic market.
Irregular and very little or no snowfall during winter and prolonged dry spells this summer in the mid and high hills has hit the crop.
Analysts said apple crop in the state is in the “walnut stage” (the stage in which the apple fruit is about the size of a walnut) at the moment. The appropriate size of the fruit is 85 to 110 mm and it will take some more time for it to reach that level.
High moisture content enables the fruit to attain the optimum size. For this, regular showers are needed now. If the monsoon remains active till the harvesting season (July to October), then the loss would be of about 35 percent. Otherwise, the production would go down by not less than 50 percent,” they added.
Himachal Pradesh is India’s major apple-producing region, with more than 200,000 families engaged in the cultivation of the fruit.
Besides apples, other fruits like cherries, pears, peaches, apricots, kiwi, strawberry, olive, almonds and plums are the major commercial crops of the state.
The economy of the hill state is highly dependent on horticulture, besides hydroelectric power and tourism, with the annual fruit industry being worth about Rs.2,000 crore.
NCDEX GOLDJUN2012 04 June 2012
contract was trading at
Rs 0 . What's your view on it?
After reading this article, people also read:
