Buyers come calling to apple orchards in HP

Instead of apple growers taking their produce to markets across India, the opposite trend has started in Himachal Pradesh, whereby commission agents (or merchants) are landing up at the orchards to purchase the fruit, say farmers.

"This has been happening for the past few years, but this year the trend has shown a significant rise with around 8,000 apple boxes being sold in orchards in the Rohru Valley alone every day," Devinder Shayam, chairman of the state agricultural produce marketing committee, told Business Standard on Tuesday.

"When the harvest ends in early October, several lakhs of apple boxes (each box weighs 20 kg) can be sold at the homes of the growers, who have to only walk to the nearest bank to deposit the money," Shayam said.

Apple is grown largely in the Shimla district, besides seven others in Himachal Pradesh. The Rohru Valley is in the Shimla district.

"This trend will pick up in the coming years. We are spared the trouble of transporting our produce to markets across the country," said Sanjay Chauhan, a farmer. "It also suits the buyer, who can make his selection," he said.

Ram Singh, a small farmer, said: "To get spot payment, I can sell my produce a little cheap. I am not in a position to journey to Delhi with my produce."