Himachal Pradesh, the fruit bowl of country, is unlikely to produce enough apples this year, due to lower than expected rainfalls in the region. Himachal Pradesh horticulture department has forecast 1.2 crore apple boxes this year, almost 50 per cent lower than the contribution by the state previous year.

Horticulture director Gurdev Singh said: "Little snow and long drought-like situation in the state led to moisture stress in apple crop, leading to the less production." He feared that fruit production in general, and apple production in particular, may come down in the state if monsoons remain below normal in the ongoing season.

However, farmers in the upper areas of the state may suffer less, thanks to the moisture contents in the air, while farmers in the lower regions have to face severe losses. S P Bharadwaj, the joint director of Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry said: "With the onset of monsoon, moisture content in the soil would go up, enhancing quality of the fruit, particularly its size."

In the meantime, the Himachal Government urged the Union government to help farmers and apple industry by increasing import duty on apple juice concentrate. Himachal Pradesh horticulture minister Narender Bragta recently met Anand Sharma, Union Commerce and Industry Minister, and conveyed the wish-list of state government to the central government.