Apple Crop Worth Lakhs Destroyed By Hailstorm In Shimla's Theog & Narkanda

by GoNews Desk 4 years ago Views 1738

Hailstorm destroy apple crops in Shimla

Well-known for its apples, Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla and neighbouring areas, Narkanda and Theog, are reeling under a devastating hailstorm. The sudden hailstorm two days ago has broken the back of apple farmers, with the unexpected weather destroying apple farmers’ produce worth lakhs. The changing weather and a lack of assistance from the government have left apple farmers in dire straits.

The apple was fully ready on the trees and more than half of the crop was hanging from the trees. When the weather is normal and there is no hailstorm, the farmers take down the nets used for plucking apples from the trees. Meanwhile, the sudden hailstorm has proved to be disastrous for apple farmers.

The annual turnover of the Himachal apple industry is more than
Rs 4,000 crore. Himachal Pradesh ranks second after Jammu and Kashmir in apple production in the country. More than 1 lakh apple farmers are associated with the 100-year-old apple industry. Last year, Himachal Pradesh produced 2.18 crore boxes of apples. In the year 2017, apple production was at 2.23 crore boxes.

Apple farmers say that while the government deducts the insurance amount, it does not give any kind of compensation if their apple crop is destroyed. They work hard throughout the year and then wait for the apple crop to get ready. However, sudden rainfall and hailstones lead to the crop being wiped out.

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