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Two weeks from apple harvest season, orchardists struggle to arrange labourers
Apple growers in Himachal are already expecting a lean crop since unfavourable weather had impacted the blooming in March and April and later hailstorms in May affected the produce
Two weeks away from the apple harvesting season, orchardists in Himachal Pradesh are struggling to arrange labour, which may render a blow to the Rs 4,500-crore apple economy of the hill state.
Apple growing regions of state rely on farm laborers from Nepal, most of whom returned to their native places in winter and are now stranded there due to the lockdown imposed in the land-locked country.
Nepalese labourers, known to be sturdy, have carried out fruit harvesting in the state for decades, so much so that they have been called the backbone of the apple economy.
Ordinarily, Nepalese laborerers start returning to the orchards in March-April.
‘APPLES MAY ROT ON TREES’
Nawar Valley Apple Society president Mahijit Rathore said, “The Nepalese labourers are keen to return but they are unable to return due to travel restrictions imposed in wake of the coronavirus crisis. This is a difficult time for apple growers. If the laborers don’t arrive in time, the apples will simply rot on trees.”
Apple growers in Himachal are already expecting a lean crop, since unfavourable weather had impacted the blooming in March and April. Later, in May, hail storms pounded the apple orchards in many regions of Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts.
Worried about upcoming apple season the Federation Of Apple Growers (FOAG), a conglomerate of 11 different fruit growers’ associations, has asked the government to arrange labourers ahead the apple season.
“The government has spoken about the issue many times but nothing can be seen on the ground so far,” said FOAG spokesperson Rajesh Dhanta, adding that so far the government had done nothing to redress problem.
‘SEEK HELP FROM BIHAR, UP’
“The government should approach the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as districts bordering Nepal like Betia in Bihar, Moradabad in UP have ample labourers and they are as hardy as Nepalese labourers,” said Progressive Apple Growers Association (PGA) president Lokinder Singh Bisht.
Apples are one of the most important fruit crops of the state, it comprises 79% of the total fruit economy and are grown in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Sirmaur, Kinnaur and Chamba districts.
Carton manufacturers have already raised the prices of the cardboard trays used for packaging apples by Rs 150. Until 2019, prices of apple trays varied between Rs 410-Rs 470. One tray pack contains 150 trays.
INCREASE MSP: APPLE GROWERS TO GOVT
Apple growers have demanded that the government increase the minimum support price for apples to Rs 20 per kilograms.
They have also demanded that the government pay the pending dues of farmers for apples purchased under the market intervention schemes (MIS) in 2019. Fruit growers are demanding that the government deposit the pending dues in the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. Apart from, fixing the price of A-Grade apples like Kashmir.
Late harvest will translate into lower yields, reduced returns, and the crops will become vulnerable to fungal disease during monsoon. Farmers also face the challenge of taking the produce to markets.
There is growing apprehension among farmers about the non-arrival of ‘ladanis’, the fruit wholesale buyers who come from other states such as West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
HP’s Coordinator of Federation of Apple Growers Rajeev Chauhan said that although the state government has assured that there will be no shortage of labourers during the apple season but they need to take effective steps in this direction on time. Orchardists have also demanded the state government fix rates of A-grade apples, to pay last year’s outstanding amounts to orchardists.
He said that due to coronavirus pandemic, orchardists are already facing many problems and lack of labourers can lead to huge wastage of apple crops as they will not be able to pluck apples on time.
