Shimla: Govt’s tall claims meet farmers’ harsh reality as apple season turns bitter
SHIMLA: Despite tall claims of record arrivals and procurement, apple farmers across Himachal Pradesh faced one of the worst monsoon-hit seasons in recent years.
Diseases like premature leaf fall and fruit dropping wiped out 20–30% of the crop, but neither the Horticulture Department nor Nauni University could pinpoint the exact cause.
Farmers allege this failure left them helpless at a time when their orchards needed urgent scientific intervention.
While the government boasts that over 1.73 crore apple boxes reached markets between June 27 and September 15—an increase of more than 50 lakh boxes compared to last year—growers say this figure hides the real crisis and it was a lean apple season in 2024 and 2023.
According to farmers the Shimla apple belt alone, nearly ₹16 crore worth of apples have rotted by the roadside, dumped outside in HPMC procurement centres after not being lifted on time.
Piles of fruit left unattended have become a common sight along rural roads, turning the government’s “support to farmers” into a cruel joke.
Farmers allege that the government is also hiding how much HPMC fruit has rotted and the losses the corporation has suffered, keeping the damage off the record to protect its claims of a “successful” season.
The delay in starting processing plants, especially at Parala, and the auctioning of MIS (Market Intervention Scheme) fruit by HPMC added to the woes.
Once these fruits slipped into the markets, they dragged prices down in August, leaving orchardists with dwindling returns despite bumper arrivals.
Government figures, however, paint a glowing picture:
From Shimla and Kinnaur APMC, sales jumped to 1.09 crore boxes from 77 lakh last year.
Solan APMC reported 24.9 lakh boxes against 22.1 lakh last year.
Kullu APMC registered 20.8 lakh boxes compared to 14 lakh in 2024.
Mandi, however, saw a steep drop—just 16.8 lakh boxes against 89.1 lakh last year.
Officials credit Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and round-the-clock PWD work for restoring rain-battered roads, enabling growers to get their crop to mandis.
They also highlight that 55,000 MT of apples have been procured under MIS through 274 centres—more than double last year—with Parala, Parwanoo, and Jarol processing plants running at full capacity.
But how much of it is processed and how much of it was auctioned and how much has been ruined. The government is hiding the figure.
But on the ground, orchardists narrate a different story. Trucks are still unable to reach several procurement centres, leaving heaps of apples to rot in HPMC centres.
With disease-related crop losses, falling prices, and delays in lifting and processing, farmers say the season has been more of a battle for survival than a success story.
The state spokesperson quoting Chief Minister as saying : “The government is fully committed to safeguarding apple growers’ interests. We’ve introduced the Universal Carton to guarantee remunerative prices and end exploitation.”
Yet, for farmers watching their produce decay by the roadside and HPMC struggling with undisclosed losses, such assurances sound hollow.
The season may have recorded higher arrivals in recent time, but in orchards, it has left behind a bitter aftertaste.
