India: More supply than demand for Kullu apple growers
90% apples in Kullu valley have already been sold and remaining 10% crop is being harvested. Growers are ruing that prices for apple are decreasing every year and they are losing their faith in horticulture. The overall market remained about 50% below the fair value. Those who had purchased orchards on contract basis have suffered tremendous losses.
According to sources, apples from over three dozen countries are being imported to India and more supply than demand is hurting apple growers from Himachal. Former horticulture minister Narinder Bragta said Congress has been misleading apple growers of Himachal with false commitments. "Despite resistance from our growers and false assurance by Union minister Anand Sharma, apples from many countries are being imported at almost no import duty. What is the need to import apples in such a big quantity when our growers can meet the market demand," Bragta said.
One major factor hurting apple growers is lack of demand for small-sized fruits, which are in large quantity this year. Growers alleged that they got up to Rs 15 per kilogram for partially rotten apples last year whereas this time they had been begging purchasers to pay them at least Rs 4-5 per kilogramme for small-sized fresh apples. Eve large apples fetched almost half the price over last year.
Growers allege that cost of pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers are increasing every year but on the other had value for apple is decreasing. Another grower, Ved Beas, said, "I was expecting a net profit of Rs 3 lakh this year but could not surpass Rs 2.25 lakh. In the middle of the season I had to sell my remaining harvest to a contractor to avoid losses. I survived but contractor suffered big losses." Most of the apple growers are upset after final calculations and many of them have been left with no money to pay for labour charges.
Source: indiatimes.com
