E-Paper
Labour shortage from Nepal may upset Himachal’s applecart
Nepalese labourers are fearful of returning due to the pandemic, mandatory quarantine; CM says state will ensure availability of labour during harvesting season
Himachal Pradesh’s Rs 4,000-crore fruit economy largely depends on ‘sturdy’ labourers from Nepal. However, this time most labourers will give the apple harvesting season a miss owing the coronavirus pandemic.
Apple growers say their business, which constitutes 89% of the total fruit economy, will suffer as Nepalese labourers, who have been the backbone of Himachal’s apple industry for around six decades, have not returned to the state after winter owing to the pandemic.
They are also staring at huge losses owing to transport and market issues.
An apple grower, Naresh Sharma of Dhano village in Theog, said, “The yield of apple crop is less than normal this season largely due to unfavourable weather. The shortage of labourers has added to our woes.”
Normally labourers return to Nepal in November and start returning to Himachal Pradesh in March-April for apple harvesting, which continues till October.
LABOUR CONCERNED ABOUT GOING HUNGRY
Labour contractor Satish Begta says, “Besides the threat of Covid-19, fear of being quarantined is discouraging most labourers from return to the state.”
Another contractor said the Nepalese workers fear that they may die of hunger if they are not able to earn during quarantine and as such are not keen on returning to work.
“The government should build relief camps for the migrant workers with arrangements to provide food and necessary facilities. A portal must be created for the labourers to get themselves registered with the government,” he said.
Himachal Pradesh is one of India’s major apple producing regions, with around 90% of the produce going to the domestic market.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said the government was in touch with labour contractors to ensure return of the labourers.
“Many labourers had returned to Nepal, but some are still here. Labourer from Uttar Pradesh is also coming. We will ensure labour is available during the apple season,” he said.
As per the state horticulture department, this season apple production in the state was 25-30% less than last year’s record harvest of around four crore boxes.
Besides Shimla district, which alone accounts for 80% of the total apple production, most apple cultivation is concentrated in Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba.
Agro commodities trading house Adani Agrifresh has targeted to procure 23,000 tonnes of apples this season.
Besides Adani, other prominent private trading houses like CONCOR, Reliance Fresh, Mother Dairy, Big Basket and Dev Bhoomi are also procuring apples.
DEMAND FOR INDIAN APPLES HIGH
Trade insiders say the apple market scenario this season indicates that imports from China and Washington have gone down and the demand for produce of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, which is of a superior quality, will capture the market in Delhi and Kolkata.
Growers fear the non-arrival of ‘ladanis’, the fruit wholesale buyers who come from other states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, can also upset their applecart.
“The lockdown has resulted in piling up of stock and there are close to 200 workers at our three facilities in Rohru, Rampur and Sainj in Shimla district,” said an official of Adani Agri Fresh Ltd, which is engaged with around 20,000 apple farmers in the state.
He said several workers, a majority from Nepal, have returned to their hometowns and the company has arranged for workers to stay back comfortably.
According to Economic Survey 2019-20, a total of 6.64 lakh tonnes of apples were marketed in the state till December 2019 against 3.68 lakh tonne in 2018-19.
