Commodity Online
SIMLA : Lack of snowfall in India’s main apple producing state of Himachal Pradesh cut down apple output by more than one third this season.

Himachal Pradesh normally produces about 550-thousand metric tons of apples every year, but this year things are looking grim.



Apples need a certain amount of cold weather, but this year’s snowfall in the State just wasn’t enough.

Apples are the most important cash crop for farmers. With more than one hundred thousand hectares of apple trees across the state, the fruit is the lifeline for the people.

Bad weather conditions and lower than expected snowfalls resulted in a much smaller yield of apples, causing great concern for fruit growers in the district.

Farmers who used to grow around 1000 boxes of apples every year are not able to grow even 250 to 300 boxes of apples this year. The financial status of farmers is not good and it has severely affected the economy.

The climate change has affected the crop. The chilling requirement of the apple crop was not met and the temperature was also fluctuating.

It affected the growth of the apple crop. In addition, storm and hailstorms spoiled the crops completely.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for many farmers to survive, as a smaller apple production will seriously affect the state’s economy.

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