Low apple production causes unemployment in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla, Aug 31 (ANI): The low apple crop production in Himachal Pradesh has led to loss of business and unemployment in the state.

Many people have been left jobless in the state, as apple crop production has come down by almost seventy five percent.

Thousands of people are associated with the apple business. Starting from the apple crop production, packing, loading and transportation to marketing and buying. A large number of people get employment from the month of July to October. But this year the fall in production of apples have left people jobless.

Director of the Himachal Horticulture department, Gurudev Singh, said that low production has affected the transportation business as well as the lower class labourers.

"The category of people that are getting affected are mostly the truck owners because the lack of work will bring them in a difficult condition to make payments of loans for the trucks. Last year when the production was 2,55,00, 000 apple boxes, transportation were needed but not much trucks are being required.

Meanwhile, the lower class labourers associated with the loading work is also being affected as not much labourers are being employed," he added.

Himachal Pradesh is one of India's major apple-producing regions, with over 90 per cent of the produce sold in the domestic markets.

Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba districts are the major hubs of apple production.

Lack of rainfall this monsoons and poorer snowfall last winter has led to a downfall in apple production in Himachal Pradesh this year. (ANI)