Filled with clean, fresh mountain air, Himachal Pradesh, located in the north of India, is known as the “apple basket” of the country.
Dakshin Chauhan, a young apple farmer, said, “Apples are our livelihood. During my grandfather’s time there was a lot of poverty in this area. Apple farming has improved our lives.”
Apple cultivation started in Himachal Pradesh almost a century ago and since then it has become the backbone of the state’s economy.
About two lakh hectares of the state’s 6.15 lakh hectares of agricultural land is under fruit orchards, of which half the area (about 1.15 lakh hectares) is under apple cultivation.
However, apple cultivation has faced many challenges over time. Weather uncertainty, old and low-yielding plantations, traditional farming methods and lack of irrigation facilities have affected the income of farmers, especially small landholders.
In addition, consumers began to prefer imported apples, causing frequent losses to small farmers.
Unique initiative
In 2016, the Himachal Pradesh government once again took an innovative approach, as it had earlier brought apple cultivation to these green hills. The state has taken steps to re-establish apple farming as a vibrant sector in India.
With the help of the World Bank’s Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project, farmers in the state were helped to change their fruit cultivation practices.
It emphasizes storage, processing and marketing facilities combining modern technology with new plant material, modern cultivation techniques and traditional methods so that farmers can get better prices for their produce.
After six years the results started coming out.
Under this scheme, 30 farmer producer companies have been established in six districts.
The total membership of these companies is 12,400 farmers, of which 27% are women. Activities like grading and packaging of apples, fruit processing, trading and cold storage are carried out through these farmer producing companies.
In 2022-23 the turnover of these companies will reach around Rs 6 crore.
Expansion of apple cultivation in low lying areas
Traditionally, vegetables have been grown in the low lying areas of Himachal Pradesh. But now new varieties of apples suitable for hot weather have been introduced.
Rajesh Kumar, a 47-year-old farmer from Kothi Dwar village in Solan district, quit growing vegetables and started orcharding a new variety of ‘low-chill’ apples.
He said, “Following my father’s footsteps, I started growing tomatoes and vegetables on an acre of land. The income from vegetables was enough to sustain the family.”
“We had to spend a lot of money every year on pesticides and fungicides.”
Because of these challenges, Rajesh can earn only Rs 50,000 to 60,000 per bigha (about a quarter) in a year.
But now their income from apple orchards has increased eight times to Tk 4-5 lakh per bigha. Rajesh said, “In the last five years I have earned as much money selling apples as I have in fifteen years selling tomatoes.”
Rajesh expects his income to reach Rs 14-15 lakh per bigha in the coming years if the weather is favourable. This will triple his current income.
High density cultivation
High density cultivation is also possible with new apple varieties. Since the height of these trees is limited to 8-10 feet and their branches do not spread as widely as the earlier varieties, more trees can be planted on the same land.
Karan Singh of Dharo ki Dhar village in Solan district said, “Earlier I did not earn much from apple cultivation. But now I can plant about 150 trees of semi-dwarf variety in one bigha of land. Only 20-30 trees of each variety can be planted.”
Fast and high yield
New varieties also begin to bear fruit early. “These trees start bearing fruit in 3-4 years, whereas traditional varieties take 6-7 years,” explains Karan Singh. As a result the farmers started getting quick profits.
Besides, more yield is obtained from these trees. “Each tree yields an average of 15-20 kg of fruit.” Today, Karan earns around Rs 10-11 lakhs annually.
Solution to irrigation problems
Under the project, farmers are organized into groups in the same catchment area. These groups were supplied with water for irrigation throughout the year by storing mountain water in newly constructed tanks. This facility has brought relief to farmers due to rain-fed crops and seasonal water resources.
In addition, Waterlogging was a major problem due to poor drainage on the land, which lost valuable nutrients from the soil and made the plants more susceptible to pests and diseases.
This problem has been solved by adopting irrigation techniques suitable for hilly areas and training farmers to use drip irrigation.
Under the project, about 260 small irrigation facilities were constructed to make more land suitable for cultivation.
Overall, by the end of the project in October 2024, irrigation facilities will have made it possible to cultivate 3,100 hectares of additional land for apple cultivation and restore 10,900 hectares of existing orchards.
Increase sales of apples
Three new fruit markets have been created and six more markets have been renovated to reduce post-harvest losses and ensure better prices to farmers for their produce.
These markets have provided an opportunity for farmers and traders from all over the country to come together on one platform. In 2024-25, these markets generated revenue of around Rs 10 crore 40 lakh.
The government’s ‘e-marketplace app’ has made it easy for farmers to get information about prices available in different areas.
Taking advantage of this facility, farmers like Karan and Rajesh were able to sell their crops as far as Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, Director, Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Project said, “Apples are central to our heritage and the livelihood of our people. Productive and environmentally sustainable apple cultivation will lay the foundation for the prosperity of our farmers now and in the future.”
Advantage of international knowledge
Under the project, assistance of international experts was also taken to improve the planting material and impart latest knowledge to the local farmers. Experts from New Zealand and the Netherlands assess the soil and topography of the area and provide important advice to farmers.
Karan learned a lot from this project, which helped him make a big difference on the ground. “The experts trained us on planting, pruning, proper nutrition and proper irrigation,” he said.
“What took us twenty years to learn in New Zealand can be applied in Himachal Pradesh in just a few years,” says David Manktello, a scientist at New Zealand’s Plant and Food Research Institute, who trains Himachal Pradesh farmers in the latest technology. ”
He appreciated the progress of the farmers of the state.
Nouni-based Dr. Y.S. Parma University of Horticulture and Forestry has played an important role in the development of this new technology.
Demonstration plots were set up, where farming techniques suited to the soil and climate of the region were developed and farmers were taught to use them. In all, more than 90 thousand farmers have been trained under this project.
“Himachal Pradesh’s pioneering work in promoting apple production will not only benefit current and future generations of its farmers, but also pave the way for other parts of the country,” said Bekod Shamsiv, World Bank project in-charge.
He said that considering India’s diverse terrain and climatic conditions, there is a huge potential to expand the project to other states as well. This will increase the production of fruits not only for the Indian market but also for international export.
Today, the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, India, has emerged as a leader in modern fruit production, setting a model for other regions with a heritage of horticultural culture.