One of the driest and warmest winters in decades in Himachal Pradesh’s apple belt could spell doom for the hill state’s biggest cash crop if it doesn’t rain in the next couple of weeks.
Snow along with an uninterrupted chilly winter is vital for apple trees. According to the local weather office, the winter gone by has been one of the warmest and driest in decades. This has made apple farmers nervous and edgy.
“The winter has been dry. It rarely snows in spring, but even if it could rain in the next couple of weeks before the trees bloom there could be some recovery,” said Lekh Raj Chauhan, president of the Himachal Apple Growers’ Association.
“The weather has been very erratic in recent years. We are convinced now that global warming is bad news for the future of temperate crops like apple, which need plenty of snow and cold spells,” Chauhan told Business Standard.
In April, apple trees turn into a riot of pink blooms after which the fruit sets. The apple harvest takes place between July and early October. The crop ripens later as one moves higher in the mountains.
“It is the orchards in the lower hills which are most affected by the dry spell and farmers are naturally despondent,” said Mahinder Thakur, an apple farmer.
Last year, the state produced 510,000 tonne of apple. Himachal Pradesh produces the country’s best apple. Its share is around a third of the country’s entire apple, while the rest is produced by neighbouring Jammu & Kashmir.