Shimla, July 28 (Inditop.com) An apple a day may not keep the doctor away. Desperate farmers in Himachal Pradesh are resorting to ripening the juicy fruit with an overdose of chemicals that could harm the human body.
“Most farmers in apple-growing states are under pressure from middlemen to ensure regular supply of apple much before its due time as early arrival is highly remunerative. For this, they start ripening the fruit well in advance by using certain chemicals,” S.P. Bhardwaj, joint director at the Solan-based Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, told IANS.
“This time, however, the farmers are a bit panicky as their crop has been damaged drastically due to weather vagaries. They are trying to get better prices for their apples by bringing the produce in the market much before its due time of arrival.
“For this, they are spraying an overdose of chemicals on the plants to enhance colour development (of the fruit) and to speed up its ripening process,” he added.
Apple is the main cash crop of Himachal Pradesh with more than 90 percent of the produce going to the domestic market.
As per records of the state horticulture department, the prolonged dry spell during winter and summer has badly hit the apple crop in the state. The total production would be 35-40 percent lower than last year.
State horticulture director Gurdev Singh said the total production in the state this season would be around 18 million boxes of 25 kg each, considerably less than last year’s 26 million crates.
According to Bhardwaj, ethylene – a naturally occurring plant hormone – is a chemical commonly used by farmers to enhance colour development in apples.
“Ethylene is commonly available in the market under the brand names Ethefon and Etheral. It is sprayed on the plant. Fruit colour starts developing nearly 15 to 20 days before attainment of maturity of fruits,” the botanist said.
Singh, however, said: “We are raising awareness among farmers about the need for adopting organic farming instead of chemical farming in apple orchards. Though use of chemicals stimulates or regulates various plant processes, including the opening of flowers and shedding of leaves, its overuse at this stage (when the fruit is naturally attaining colour and ripening) has a negative impact both on the fruit and the plant.”
“Of course, the fruit ripened with chemicals lacks natural sweetness, colour and succulence. It can also affect the human body’s immune system and cause severe stomach complications,” he said.
Kanwar Dayal Krishan Singh, a farmer in Kotkhai in upper Shimla, said: “Some farmers are frequently using chemicals, and this practice is quite prevalent in the mid-hills where the fruit takes time to ripe in natural conditions.”
Bhardwaj said the use of chemicals is also prevalent in other apple-producing states like Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.
Himachal Pradesh is one of India’s major apple-producing regions, with more than 200,000 families engaged in the cultivation of the fruit.
The apple economy of the state is around Rs.1,500 crore and is flourishing mainly in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba districts.
