A lot of people get confused between Agriculture and Horticulture. So before starting this piece, I think it’s a good idea to educate my readers a bit about what exactly Horticulture is.

Horticulture is the science that uses special techniques and methods to cultivate plants, with methods that develop proper conditioning of the soil for seed planting. The plants that are mainly covered in horticulture are vegetables, trees, flowers, turf, shrubs, fruits, and nuts.

State of Horticulture in Himachal

The diverse and unique climatic conditions of Himachal allows a wide species of fruits to be cultivated. Right now, more than 35 species of different varieties of fruits are grown in the state. No wonder Himachal is known as the fruit bowl of India. The state endows with a high diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants as well. With such emphasis on horticulture and related livelihoods, the economy of state is heavily dependent on it. 71% of state’s population is dependent on farming, horticulture, and livestock.

Among all the fruits, Apple is the most dominant fruit crop in Himachal. It constitutes about

42% of the total area under fruit crops and 84% of the total fruit production in the state. Apart from Apple, other fruit crops are Mango and Litchi.

History of Apple Farming

Not many people know this and here’s an interesting fact I would like to share with you. Apple farming was introduced in the region by Samuel Evan Stokes, an American. He was commonly known as Satyanand Stokes by the local people. He was a missionary who settled in Kotgarh in 1916 and was also known to participate in Independence movement of India.

Current Scenario

Right now more than 450 cultivars of apple are grown in Himachal, popular ones being, Royal Delicious, Rich-A-Red, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious.

The most traditional Himachali variety, Royal Delicious, gives a tough competition to the US counterparts. It fetches a higher price than apples grown in the US. As compared to an average price of ₹1,800 – ₹2,200 per standard box (20 kg) for American Apple varieties, Royal Delicious is sold at ₹2,500 – ₹3,000 per box.

“Despite being the world’s fifth largest apple producer, India has become a target market for the US apple.” said Lokinder Singh, president of the Progressive Apple Growers Association of Himachal.

Strengthening steps by Modi Govt

In order to further strengthen Himachal Apples, the Narendra Modi Govt recently increased import duty from 50% to 75% on the apples imported from USA. This was a promise Modi Govt fulfilled which it did in 2014. The decision will do a great deal of benefit to Himachal and empower the ₹4,000 crore apple economy of HP.

Former Horticulture Minister, and current Member of Legislative Assembly of Himachal, Shri Narinder Bragta said that this decision will not only benefit the people of Himachal, but J&K as well.

The Future

Indian, especially Himachali Apples, are giving a tough competition and contributing at 5th number to the import of apples in the world. With a hope of such continuous endeavours of State and Central Govt to solidify the state of horticulture in Himachal, the day is not far when we’ll become the number one exporter of quality apples in the world.