Heavy Rains Stall Himachal’s Apple Season; Orchardists Fear Huge Losses

Shimla, Sept 4 – Continuous heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh have severely disrupted the apple season. Blocked roads and landslides have halted transportation, leaving apples stranded in HPMC collection centers where many are starting to rot. More than half of the centers are damaged, with apple stock deteriorating in sacks.

So far, 1.30 crore apple boxes have been transported from Shimla district this season, with Naina Barrier leading at 46.48 lakh boxes. However, key roads in Kullu, Ani, Nirmand, Chaupal, and Saraj remain blocked, raising fears of heavy economic losses for orchardists. Parala Mandi, which usually receives 35,000–60,000 boxes daily, has dropped to just 10,000–15,000 boxes in the past four days.

Trucks and trolleys are stranded on major routes including National Highway-5 and Chaila-Solan road, further delaying shipments to other states. Growers warn that if the weather doesn’t improve soon, this year’s apple season could suffer unprecedented losses.