Unseasonal Rain, Chilly Weather Blamed for Himachal Pradesh’s Apple Output Decline

Shimla, Oct 10 (UDN): Unseasonal rainfall, cold conditions during the flowering stage and insufficient chilling hours have adversely affected apple production in Himachal Pradesh this season, state Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi said on Friday.

 Representational Image 

Addressing the media in Shimla, Negi said unfavourable weather conditions had affected the state’s apple crop. He also outlined the procurement figures under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), along with measures taken by the state government to clear pending payments to farmers and orchardists.

According to the Minister, the Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) and the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers Federation Limited (HIMFED) had procured 13,202.666 metric tonnes of apples under the scheme so far.

Meanwhile, 1,23,34,739 apple boxes had reached markets during the current season, he said.

Government Reports Progress on Pending Dues

Negi defended the state government’s handling of MIS payments, alleging that the present Congress government had inherited outstanding liabilities of Rs 114 crore from the previous BJP administration.

He said the government had cleared the inherited dues and disbursed more than Rs 262 crore to farmers and orchardists so far.

The Minister also accused BJP leaders of misleading apple growers over the payment issue, maintaining that the government had taken steps to address outstanding liabilities and improve the implementation of the scheme.

Application-Based System Introduced

Highlighting reforms under the state government’s Vyavastha Parivartan initiative, Negi said the traditional registration system under the MIS had been replaced with an application-based mechanism.

According to him, the revised process was intended to improve transparency and streamline beneficiary verification. He added that the number of registered farmers and orchardists had declined following the change.

The government has also been making payments through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to eligible beneficiaries under the scheme.

Thousands of Beneficiaries Under Verification

The Minister said DBT payments had been made to 11,285 farmers and orchardists with fewer than 30 bags and another 2,827 beneficiaries with fewer than 100 bags.

Around 7,000 farmers and orchardists with more than 100 bags had been identified for verification, he added.

Of these, approximately 2,000 cases had been verified, while land-related documents were being sought to complete the process for the remaining 5,000 cases.

The verification exercise is aimed at establishing beneficiary eligibility and ensuring that payments under the scheme reach the intended recipients.

Re 1 Increase Announced Under MIS

Negi further said the state government had announced a Re 1 increase under the Market Intervention Scheme, a move expected to benefit apple growers across Himachal Pradesh.

The announcement comes as growers contend with weather-related challenges affecting production, alongside concerns over procurement and payments.

With apple cultivation serving as a key source of livelihood for thousands of farming households in the hill state, the impact of adverse weather and the timely implementation of government support measures remain important concerns for the sector.