Boosting Apple Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh

With its clear, crisp mountain air, India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh is often called the “Apple State” of the country.

“Apples are our livelihood,” explains Daksh Chauhan, a young apple grower. “In my grandfather’s time, this whole area was very poor. Apple cultivation made our lives much better.”

Ever since apple cultivation was introduced into Himachal Pradesh almost a century ago, apples have formed the backbone of the State’s economy. Around two lakh of the State’s 6.15 lakh hectares (Ha) of cultivated land are dedicated to fruit orchards, of which half (around 1.15 lakh Ha.) is under apple cultivation.

However, over time, the crop faced a series of challenges. Unpredictable weather conditions, combined with old low-fruit bearing orchards, traditional methods of cultivation and the lack of suitable irrigation facilities led to low farm incomes, especially for the smaller landholders. Consumer preferences have also been changing in favor of imported varieties, trapping small farmers in repeated cycles of loss year after year.

In 2016 Himachal Pradesh, once again, rekindled the pioneering spirit that had first brought apples to its verdant hillsides, to recast the State as a veritable powerhouse of apple cultivation in India.

With support from the World Bank’s Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project, the State helped farmers to transform the way fruits are grown. This included blending old traditions with the new, introducing new planting materials, modern practices and techniques in farming, and creating storage, processing, and marketing facilities to enable them to earn better prices for their produce. 

Six years later, the results are beginning to show.

Spreading apple cultivation to the lower altitudes

Vegetables have traditionally been grown in the lower ranges of the hill State.  Now, new varieties of apples, better suited for warmer temperatures, were introduced.

In Solan District, for instance, forty-seven- year-old Rajesh Kumar switched from growing vegetables to cultivating the new variety of ‘low-chill’ apples.  "I followed my father into growing tomatoes and vegetables on our one acre of land,” recalled the young farmer from Kothi Dwara village. “The income from vegetables was barely enough for the family to survive. Every year we had to spend on pesticides and fungicides. Irrigation was another issue.”

Given these challenges, Rajesh used to earn just Rs. 50,000-60,000 per bigha (around quarter of an acre) a year. Now his earnings have grown eight-fold, with his apple orchard bringing in close to Rs. 4-5 lakhs per bigha annually. “In the last five years, I have earned as much by selling apples as I had in fifteen years of selling tomatoes," said Rajesh, a smile of satisfaction lighting up his face.

In the coming years, barring any adverse weather conditions, he expects to earn close to Rs 14-15 lakhs per bigha, three times his current income.

High density cultivation

The new varieties of apple trees also allow for high-density cultivation. Because the trees are shorter – growing up to 8-10 feet – with branches that do not spread as wide as the earlier varieties, more trees can be planted on the same patch of land.

“Previously, my income from apples was almost nothing,” explained Karan Singh from Solan district’s Dharo Ki Dhar village.   “Now I am able to plant almost 150 trees of semi dwarf variety in a bigha, compared to just 20-30 trees of the old varieties.”

Faster and higher yields

The new varieties, also bear fruit faster. “They begin to bear fruit within 3-4 years of planting, compared to 6-7 years in the traditional varieties,” Karan said, enabling farmers to reap the benefits much sooner.

What’s more, these trees give higher yields. “Each tree gives an average of 15-20 kilos of fruit.” Today, Karan earns around Rs. 10-11 lakhs a year on average. 

Solving irrigation issues

The project helped form clusters of farmers in the same hydrological area.  These clusters were given access to year-round irrigation by channeling water from the upper hillsides into newly constructed tanks nearer their fields.  Given the rainfall-dependent nature of their crop, and the seasonal availability of water resources, this provided much needed relief for the farmers.

Waterlogging due to poor drainage on terraced fields also used to be a challenge as it robbed the soil of valuable nutrients and left the trees vulnerable to pests and disease. This was tackled by adapting irrigation techniques to suit the hilly terrain, and training farmers in the use of drip irrigation.

Around 260 minor irrigation facilities were constructed, enabling more land to be brought under cultivation. All told, by October 2024, when the project closed, irrigation facilities helped bring an additional 3,100 hectares of land under apple cultivation, in addition to rejuvenating another 10,900 hectares of existing orchards.

Marketing the produce across the country

To reduce post-harvest losses and enable farmers to secure better prices for their produce, three new fruit markets were created, and six others were upgraded. These markets provided a platform for farmers and traders from across the country to engage with each other. In 2024-25 alone, these terminals generated a revenue of about INR 10.40 crore (around $1.2 million).​

The government’s e-marketplace app also made it easier for farmers to check the prices offered in different parts of the country.  This has helped both Karan and Rajesh to sell their produce as far away as Jaipur in Rajasthan, where they have been getting a good price for their produce.

"Apples are our heritage and lie at the heart of the livelihood of our people,” said Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, Project Director, HP Horticulture Project. “A productive and environmentally sustainable apple cultivation will thus be the bedrock for the prosperity of our farmers, both now and in the future."

Bringing international knowledge

The project also brought in international expertise to upgrade the planting materials and impart the latest knowledge to local farmers. Experts from New Zealand and Netherlands assessed the soil and topography of the region and offered their advice to the farmers.

Karan has learnt much from the project enabling him to make a big difference on the ground. “Experts trained us in planting, pruning, providing appropriate nutrition and watering the trees in the right manner,” he explained.

David Manktelow, a scientist with Plant and Food Research in New Zealand who helped train Himachal’s farmers in the latest techniques says, “What took us twenty years to learn in New Zealand can be implemented in a few years in Himachal Pradesh,” commending the progressive nature of the State’s farmers.

The Dr. Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni, played a pivotal role in disseminating the new learnings. Demonstration plots were set up where farming practices adapted to the state’s soil and weather conditions were developed to sustain high density apple cultivation.  Farmers were taught how to apply them.  Overall, more than 90,000 farmers were trained under the project.     

“The pioneering work done by Himachal Pradesh in boosting apple cultivation will not only benefit current and future generations of its farmers but will also lead the way for the rest of the country,” explained Bekzod Shamsiev, Task Team Leader of the project from the World Bank. “Given the enormous variety of terrain and climatic conditions found in India, there is considerable potential to expand modern fruit farming in other states too, producing fruit not only for the Indian market but for international destinations as well.”

Today, India’s hill state of Himachal Pradesh is leading the way in modern fruit farming, setting an example for the other states with strong horticultural traditions to follow.