"In the last season, a box of 22 kg was sold from Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,600. It is also mentioned that the credit of taking up apple cultivation on a large scale in Himahcal goes to Samuel Stokes (Late Satyanad Stokes), a resident of Philadelphia who came to India in 1904 as a missionary worker. In a few years the apple plants bore fruits and these families began to market the fruit for profit. They would rather butcher a goat to the local Gods for good weather than plant trees in their denuded  forests. So apple growers please wakeup and stop being selfish !!! The most awaited apple season in the hill State of Himachal Pradesh has begun with the first lot of around 10 lakh cartons reaching various markets in the country. Map highlights major Apple producing states in India like Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal and Arunachal Pradesh. Over the years, the apple production in the state has been erratic, say experts. Their children study in expensive boarding schools and little expense is spared during any social occasions like marriages or  village rituals. Someone is atleast talking about it… Keep it up, Pilgrim’s Progress: Muslim Palanquin Bearers of Vaishno Devi, Taaza Khabar. Thanks, Nice work. The ravages of Uttarakhand are perfect example of this. But if  the encroachments into the forests don’t stop, it will only be a matter of time before they  kill the golden goose that laid the golden eggs. But if the encroachments into the forests don’t stop, it will only be a matter of time before they kill the golden goose that laid the golden eggs. The average production is around 2.5 crore of boxes each year but may vary every year depending on the weather conditions. Trade insiders say this time the apples are largely undersized owing to weather fluctuations and bear jet back spots owing to the scab disease. The apple growers no longer live in villages in  traditional  mud and wood houses.  Seeing their success,  others in Kotgarh began to plant  apple trees too and the village  as a whole began to prosper. Today, apple farming is by far the most economically viable option for farmers in Himachal. The apple production in Himachal Pradesh is around 4 crore boxes (one box is 20 kilograms) if the crop is good. A large consignment went to the wholesale market in Delhi where they got handsome prices. A change due to global warming is nothing new. In India, it is mostly grown in Kashmir, hills of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh. Apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh has become the mainstay of over 1.7 lakh families in the state as the orchards now cover 1,09,533 hectares, around 49 … In a matter of few decades everyone in Himachal at an altitude of 1500meters and above  began to plant apple trees and reap the benefits. The apple orchardists have so far had a good run. Kairi Panchayat here in Shimla District, once had the  highest per-capita income among all  villages in the country. Apple orchards in Himachal Pradesh [Photo/ANI]. The apple harvesting season in the state is from July to October, depending upon the … The story first appeared in the Bangkok Post. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. But good!! View from the Barn Door, Apple Orchards in Snow, Himachal. Another outlandish fruit which is Kiwi, is now also seen in the orchards of Himachal. In some areas the scab disease, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, makes the fruit impaired, tasteless and undersize. All rights reserved. Every apple orchardist should be concerned about it’’, says Digvijay Singh Chauhan, President of the Samiti. They have their houses in their orchards. At the turn of the 20th century an American travelled to a remote mountain region  in  Himachal Pradesh and tried to propagate a strange idea. Baghi- Ratnari Panchayat , not far from Kairi, has been graced with the title  too and continues to be a leading Panchayat with highest apple production.  “What will we eat for food? Many exotic fruits like apple, pears, peaches, cherries, apricots, almonds, plums, pomegranate, strawberries etc are cultivated here. The state has planned to organize this Apple festival for fostering tourism activities in Himachal Pradesh and awakening the tourism collaborators. And as always the pictures were gorgeous! After that, the harvesting will be on in the high-altitude areas where the impact of the scab is higher. Climate change, researchers say, is adversely impacting the production of important agricultural and horticultural crops in Indian Himalayan Region, especially those in the lowlands.   ‘’The Forest Department is doing everything except saving the forests. Now we sell apples directly to the centre here." Thanks Sanjay for this arcticle. Thanks.  It fetched them good money and they prospered. Shimla district alone accounts for 80 per cent of the total apple production. A total of 8,70,310 apple boxes have been sent to different markets of the country till August 8. According to Bhardwaj, poor crop management is mainly responsible for the spread of the disease.  ‘’Our banks  in Kairi had the highest deposits among any rural bank in India’’, says Shiv Prakash Bhimta ,a resident apple grower here. Grapes – Nashik. He said the south Indian apple orchards — primarily in Karnataka — could produce 10 times more per hectare than Himachal Pradesh. The American was Samuel Stokes and when he first set foot in the hills of Himachal he was stuck by the similarity of weather here to   the apple growing regions of America.  Like most  do-gooder Westerners he had come as a  proselytizing Christian but he was so taken in by the simple lives of the Himachali’s that he got converted to their ways instead. I knew about Stokes, and his contribution to prosperity in Himachal, from my trip to Thanedar but didn’t know about the downside of the growth of apple orchards. Himachal Pradesh is the second largest apple producing state in India, right after Jammu and Kashmir. And information that I did not know! But because of deforestation it is snowing less and less each year. ‘’ The demarcation ( of encroached land) is to be done by the Revenue Department before we do the evictions. In India, Apple is primarily cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir; Himachal Pradesh; hills of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. The temperature trends in apple growing regions of Kullu and Shimla indicated 1.8 to 4.1 0C rise in past two decades which reflected in decrease of chill units (CU) hours accumulations. India: A Nation of Newspaper Readers. For Himachal Pradesh’s apple growers, this should have been the best possible year. Forests like these are dwindling fast in the area, Shimla District. The production is expected more in the high altitude areas, Horticulture Secretary Amitabh Awasthi said. Arunachal Pradesh is one of the ideal locations for apple cultivation. Apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh has become the mainstay of over 1.7 lakh families as the orchards now cover 1,09,533 hectares, around 49 per cent of the total area under fruit cultivation. He told the farmers  to plant apples trees instead of the traditional wheat  and maize they had been growing for centuries. Himachal Pradesh will look lively during this season. Powered by hocalwire.com, We use cookies for analytics, advertising and to improve our site. However like most gold-rush  bonanzas the apple story   also has a downside. This is the bottomline. In large areas in Shimla, the deficiency of rainfall goes up to 35-40 per cent," he said. To know more, see our. Auschwitz: It Horrifies. Apple is largely produced in the districts of Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi, Chamba, Sirmaur and Lahaul-Spiti. Great reportage Sanjay! You agree to our use of cookies by continuing to use our site. But the Revenue Department did not have sufficient staff to do the demarcations.  Therefore we had to ask for extensions to carry out the evictions’’, Says R. K. Gupta  Principal Chief Conservator of Forests – Department of Forests. Himachal. The study also analyses various geoengineering methods. Watch AP Telugu Farmer is Successful Cultivation Of Apples In Himachal Pradesh | New Waves Follow Us On : Subscribe : https://goo.gl/9fGJxb Twitter : https://goo.gl/zp3iJz Facebook : … Image Credit: ANI. Apple (Malus pumila) is an important temperate fruit. Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) , November 30: Apple growers in Shimla have said that private apple procurement centres in the district are helping them earn more, as they do not have to … The man was stubborn,  after all he was Mahatma Gandhi’s disciple (his first American)  and like his Guru he decided to stick it out. A farmer Layak Ram said, "Earlier we had to go to Delhi. Today, apple farming is by far the most economically viable option for farmers in Himachal. The rag-to-riches trajectory of the apple farming has had the orchardists encroach  the forests. Most of them now live in lavish farmhouses  in the middle of their orchards reminiscent  of   English countryside than a rural Indian setting. Apple cultivation also extended to Nagaland, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, told IANS the apple crop largely remained undersized owing to deficit and erratic monsoon rains. Favourable weather — an extended winter and good snowfall necessary to meet the minimum chill hours for the fruit-bearing trees to blossom — promised a bumper harvest. Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 30 (ANI): Apple growers in Shimla have said that private apple procurement centres in the district are … A study on horticulture, conducted by Indian Himalayas Climat… Beautiful photographs An apple orchards house in Shimla District, Himachal. Pariyavaran Sangrakshak Samiti is a  grassroots level organization being run by the local orchardists here in Kairi village. It is evident that temperature in apple growing regions of Himachal Pradesh showed increasing trends whereas precipitation showed decreasing trends. Golden Apples have no market and are grown only for pollination, Himachal Pradesh. Apple cultivation was introduced in Himachal Pradesh by an American missionary, Samuel Evan Stokes in 1916. This has gone unchecked for so many years that the repercussions of deforestation are now  visiting the orchardists. "Shimla's nearby apple growing areas of Kufri and Fagu saw 27 per cent less than normal rainfall from June 15 onwards. That’s what has to be taught… God knows who is going to do it !? Located in the temperate region of Himachal Pradesh, Kotgarh’s entire agricultural land was dominated by apple orchards till the nineties. Area under apple has increased from 400 hectares in 1950-51 to 3,025 hectares in 1960-61 and 1,11,896 hectares in 2016-17. Trader Naresh Chauhan at the apple market in Dhalli near here said a 20 kg box of top quality Royal Delicious fetches between Rs 2,200 and Rs 2,300 in Delhi's Azadpur market, against Rs 1,500 per box last year. For example, an increase in temperature and decrease in winter rainfall and snowfall have reduced the number of chilling hours, leading to a decline in apple production in the region. Variegated Laughingthrush. Thanks. It is damaging this year’s produce, and causing a rise in its prices. Apple Harvest in Shimla District, Himachal The American was Samuel Stokes and when he first set foot in the hills of Himachal he was stuck by the similarity of weather here to the apple growing regions of America. Mohan ji.. true he came to convert. Apple Tree Pruning in winters, Himachal Pradesh. Negi said that the horticulture department of Himachal Pradesh is now promoting high density apple tree varieties that can be grown at lower altitudes such as Banjar. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni say incidents of scab disease have been reported from some areas of Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts. If high yielding varieties of apple are introduced in the state it can make a big headway by exporting the produce to Bangladesh which presently depends on Bhutan besides meeting the internal demand of the northeastern markets. He came to India in 1902 and settled in a village in Himachal Pradesh. Oct 2013. Lovely Photographs and a great article. Area under apple has increased from 400 hectares in 1950-51 to 30235 hectares in 1960-61, and 1,10,679 hectares in 2015-16. Apple Harvest in Shimla District, Himachal. The apple harvesting season in the state is from July to October, depending upon the plant variety. This season, he said, only a few farmers opted to sell the apples in the state. The reason is a prolonged winter spell and lack of adequate rainfall when the apple crop was ripening between May and June. This time they are missing owing to coronavirus and the farmers are taking their crop mostly to Delhi," he said. Apples from Himachal are exported to other Indian states and even other countries. In general, about 100 apple trees are planted in a bigha; with the new high density varieties being introduced, 200 to 250 trees can be planted in one bigha. Climate change and global warming have been a reason for many such issues in the past. But it Should Not Surprise Anyone. S Parmar University of Horticultural and Forestry in Shimla. Apple growers in Shimla have said that private apple procurement centres in the district are helping them earn more, as they do not have to deal with middlemen anymore. Officials of the Horticulture Department said the harvesting of the crop from mid-hills of Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts is at its peak. A glade in a deodar forest. I am very happy you posted this…always wondered, A very informative and insightful write up. New Delhi: Apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh are facing the onslaught of the scab disease, which has hit the state after nearly four decades. It seems too big a problem to manage n is gonna take hundreds of years to rectify…. Loading a truck  with apple boxes, Shimla District. Shimla:Less than the optimum yield coupled with labour pangs amid the coronavirus pandemic and fungal attack -- for the second consecutive year -- in Himachal Pradesh this season turn out to be a blessing in disguise for apple cultivators who say the fruit's prices have remained at a sweet high in northern India. But he got converted himself. Himachal Pradesh is also known as the “ Apple State ” of India for its large-scale production of fruits and it is also a great benediction to the economy of the state.  For a good yield the apple plant should have at least 1000 chilling hours in winters. Apples alone constitute 89 per cent of the state's fruit economy of Rs 4,000 crore. Also it damages the fruit with jet back spots. Apple expert S.P. HP. Experts at the Dr Y.S. China is the largest apple producer in the world. At the time when Samuel Stokes tried to introduce the idea of apples in these isolated Himachali villages, the villagers  hardly had any money or any use for it. He even changed his name to a Himachali one and became a regular Pahari. Apples are mostly consumed fresh but a small part of the production is processed in to juices, jellies, canned slices and other items. Apple is so far the most important fruit crop of Himachal Pradesh, which constitutes about 49 percent of the total area under fruit crops and about 85 per cent of the total fruit production. Main Areas for the production of apples in Himachal The hill state of Himachal Pradesh constitutes about 48 percent of the area under the production of apple. The old village looked like this. © 2020 Hyderabad Media House Limited/The Hans India. Apple harvest time in an orchard in Shimla District. Following up on a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) the State High Court had given directions for the registration of FIR’s and eviction of encroachers who had occupied more than 10 bighas of  forest land in Himachal. "Earlier, a number of traders from Gujarat and Maharashtra used to purchase apples directly from the farmers from their orchards. "Apple prices are significantly high owing to its short supply. Though the younger generation of orchardists are all well educated , deep rooted tradition beliefs prevail over commonsensical environment issues. But over the  decades apples have transformed the lives of the apple growing community completely. Nearly 30 to 35 per cent of the produce is sold at Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, while the rest gets transported directly to wholesale markets in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Jaipur and the Northeastern states. Shimla district alone accounts for 80 per cent of the total apple production. They lived simple self-sustained lives depending on  livestock,   and agriculture. This entry was posted on Thursday, October 17th, 2013 at 1:16 am. Over the years, Himachal Pradesh farmers have come to understand that growing apples faced more and more problems. He bought a plot of land in Kotgarh village, in Shimla district and planted apple saplings he had  got with him from America. The hill state is one of India's major apple producing regions, with more than 90 per cent of the produce going to the domestic market. As per estimates of the state Horticulture Department, the state is likely to produce 30 million boxes of apples this season -- approximately five-six lakh tonnes -- and this is 25-30 per cent less than last year's record harvest. This means the country’s apple production … ‘’Deforestation had changed the weather pattern in the region. (Last year, the state produced less than … Basically we have all lost our values !! Deodar and pine forests are being rampantly cut  to plant apple trees. Very few orchardists in Shimla district  live in the villages now. According to Economic Survey 2019-20, a total of 6.64 lakh tonnes of apples were marketed in the state till December 2019 against 3.68 lakh tonnes in 2018-19. Find map of Apple producing states in India. Grading for size, color and quality in a warehouse in Shimla District, Himachal. Bhardwaj, a former Joint Director at the Y.S. Both luxuries for  majority of the people. The Forest Department lays  the blame on the Revenue Department’s door. Havesting of apples in an orchard in Himachal Pradesh. It is filed under Thoughts/ Articles and tagged with apple farming himachal, apple orchards himachal, apple orchards photographs, apples in india, deforestation himachal pradesh, himachal pradesh photographs, kotgarh himachal, photos apple orchards, photos apples, samuel stokes, satyanand stokes. But very few understand this. Apple is most important fruit crop of Himachal Pradesh as it constitutes about 49% of the total fruit production. Himachal Pradesh’s apple economy is worth nearly Rs 4,000 crore. The rainfall is erratic and  hailstorms  are more frequent now than ever”, says Dr. Inder Mohan a scientist at DR. Y.P. Greed leads to downfall of humanity. He was ridiculed and chased   away. I don’t think anyone in these areas is thinking ahead… They can’t cos they are so blinded by the present. This time we packed the apples in 10 kg boxes and each box fetched around Rs 1,100," Kumar added. The foremost food crop cultivated include “wheat, rice, maize, barley, ginger, seed-potato, vegetables, mushrooms hops, olives, fig, hops, and chicory seeds”. Himachal Pradesh is arranging a 2-day apple festival from 27th-28th September in the state in Shimla. I hope the concerned people read and pay heed to the apple cause. He changed his name to Satyanand Stokes, married a local girl and settled in Kotgarh. The prices remained almost 25 to 30 per cent higher than last year's, depending upon the quality," Vinod Kumar, a prominent apple grower from Dadesh village in Kotgarh tehsil in upper Shimla, told IANS. Download free map. Nashik district is known as the grape capital of India,Nestling at the feet of the … The apple orchardists have so far had a good run. Earlier, a box normally contains 22 kg of fruit. He said for the first time most of the growers are marketing the apples by packaging them in small boxes of 10 kg. Therefore there is a dire need for people like us to build awareness about environmental issues among the orchardists and show how its going to impact our future. They began to live well;  wear better clothes, eat better food, built bigger houses and send their children to expensive boarding schools. The apple cultivation constitute 49 per cent of the total area under fruit crops and 85% of total fruit production in the state with an estimated economy of ₹ 3500 crore. Expensive 4WD’s park behind high walls  and orchardists check for weather forecasts on iPads and iPhones. Shimla’s Water Crisis and the Lazy Dependency on the Government, Sustainability and Luxury go Hand in Hand. Money was needed only for two things- tobacco and salt. The Orchards are a home to a variety of exotic Himalayan Birds. The beautiful state, Himachal Pradesh is the fruit basket for the country. He managed to convince a few families in his neighborhood  to do the same. This will result in overall decline in the total yield. Apples?”, they told him.  The court had set the first deadline for June 19, 2011 to carry out the evictions but the state Forest Department  failed to honor this as well as all subsequent deadlines set for it.  They have also not been able to register the FIR’s against the encroachers. The State, despite undergoing an enc During this period the crop requires rains and high moisture. 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