Late-season apples from Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district are in demand on the domestic market, as supply from other apple producing areas in the country dries up.
Gian Singh Chandel, the chairman of the apple market committee, told Bombay News.Net that apples from Kinnaur are fetching good prices in Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.
A carton of premium-grade Royal Delicious from Kinnaur is retailing for around Rs1,100, while Red Royals are fetching around Rs900 per carton, reported Bombay News.Net
According to the Indian horticultural department, annual production in the Kinnaur district is estimated at 2.4m and 2.5m 20kg cartons.
SP Bhardwaj, former joint director at YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, told Bombay News.Net that apples from Kinnaur's Chango and Ribba valleys are always in demand because of their sweetness and long shelf life.
“Since the apples grown in high altitudes take much longer to mature, compared to the mid hills, the conversion of starch into sugar during fruit maturity takes place gradually, which makes the fruit more juicy and crunchy.”
Apples in Kinnaur are grown at an altitude above 10,000ft.
Himachal Pradesh this year is heading towards an all-time record of apple production of over 45m standard cartons. Last year, the production was just 14m cartons.
However, significant crop loss in the state has resulted from flooding, hail damage and disease.
The state’s economy is highly dependent on apples, and the industry is worth an estimated Rs15bn (US$340m).
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