Apple growers expected about 30 to 40 per cent increase in the crop this year compared with the previous year in the hill state where apple contributes to about 90 per cent to the total fruit production and to about half the area under fruits.

Concerned over the small size and dull colour of apple and crop failures over the last few years, the growers sprayed napthaline in a ratio of much higher than what the experts had recommended.

Experts at YS Parmar Horticulture University in Solan in Himachal Pradesh had warned against the use of the chemical but the anxious growers went ahead with its application. This led to "premature" growth of at least half of the apple crop.

Napthaline is normally sprayed for adding colour about a week before natural aging, but this time the growers sprayed it almost a month in advance which led to unusualdropping of apples. Naturally, the growers had to sell the produce at a lower price than the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government.

Reports indicate that heavy movement of apples to market in Delhi and other towns led to "poor returns" for the growers as there was unusual influx of the apple. To add to the growers' woes, red mites attacked the crop and experts point out that at least 55,545 hectares of the total 80,388 hectares of area under apple crop had been affected by the attack of red mites.

According to SP Bhardwaj, senior entomologist of YS Parmar University of Horticulture, a study conducted by the university had found that "as much as 69 per cent of apple crop in Kullu, Shimla and Mandi had been adversely affected because of red mites". Last year too the red mites had affected the apple crop leading to downfall in production by about 2.34 lakh metric tonnes.

These unforeseen developments not only dashed the chances of a bumper apple crop, but also meant that there would bescarcity of "grade A apples". Initial reports indicate that there would be a bumper crop of apple this year and the apple growers were in touch with middlemen in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai for marketing of the produce as the main terminal market often exploited the growers.

The growers told the chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal that the commission agents charged eight per cent as commission on gross sales. They suggested that terminal market constructed at Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh bordering Haryana be made functional. There is an urgent need to increase the capacity of fruit processing unit at Parwanoo.

Experts point out the growers did not learn lessons from the decline in apple crop over the last several years and had pinned high hopes on the fact that flowering, pollination and fruit setting had been smooth.

In the Upper Shimla belt, known as the apple bowl of the hill state, growers were all smiles hoping a bumper crop after years. Successive crop failures and attacks of red mites haddone much harm to the crop for the last few years.

In fact the scab had taken the form of epidemic and the outbreak of premature defoliation of apple and red spider mites had resulted in decline in the apple crop over the years.

Particularly in areas like Shimla, Mandi and Kulu, an invasion by European red mite had affected the crop. In 1997, about 62 per cent of the apple orchards had been affected by the mite.

Four teams of scientists visited Chamba, Kulu, Shimla and Kinnaur, the main apple growing areas, to investigate the sudden reports of likely decline in the apple crop. Apple is the backbone of the economy of Himachal Pradesh and the peculiar topography and agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the state are ideally suited for the production of different type of apple crops.

Apple production generates a revenue of about Rs 300 crore for the state. Plucking of apple crop has begun in the upper belt and labourers from Nepal has arrived in good number to do the job. In the lower and mid-hillareas, the plucking had begun in July itself in view of early dropping of apple crop.