By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 20 Jan: Persistent dry weather and an almost complete absence of winter rainfall and snowfall have deepened anxieties among apple growers in Uttarakhand, particularly in Uttarkashi district which is the major apple cultivation region in the state. The farmers are fearing a repeat of last year’s disappointing yield. Orchardists in key fruit belts such as Syori and Dhari Kafnol, which last season recorded apple production as low as 30 per cent of expected output, have expressed mounting concern as January advances with negligible precipitation and insufficient chilling hours for fruit trees.
Naugaon, Purola and Mori blocks of the Rawai Valley in Uttarkashi district, which together typically produce over 25,000 metric tonnes of apples and sustain hundreds of families, is now confronted with a deep agrarian crisis as climatic conditions continue to defy the traditional patterns.
It may be reminded here that apple, pear, cherry and other temperate fruit trees depend on being exposed to prolonged low temperatures within the range of 0 to 7 degrees Celsius for between 1,200 and 1,600 hours over the winter to complete their dormancy and ensure robust flowering and fruit set in spring. However, growers report that these essential chilling requirements have gone largely unmet this year, with weather records showing virtually no rainfall or snowfall from November through mid-January, leaving the ground temperatures in apple growing hills, higher than normal and impairing the trees’ biological cycles, a development likely to affect both the quantity and the quality of the forthcoming crop. While, the farmers have been slowly switching over to different hybrid varieties of apple and other temperate fruits which require relatively, lower number of chilling hours, the majority of apple cultivation in Uttarakhand remains largely dependent on traditional apple varieties such as Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Royal Delicious and Granny Smith which are high chill varieties requiring higher number of chilling hours.
Meanwhile, experts state that the lack of snow and rain not only deprives the orchards of necessary cold but also reduces soil moisture, disrupting natural flowering cues and potentially leading to weak blossoms, poor fruit setting, smaller fruit size and diminished market value. In the Harsil valley, renowned for apples that supply markets across India, growers have reported early and irregular blooming in some orchards, a condition they attribute to warmer daytime temperatures and winter dryness that confound the trees’ life cycles and signal premature spring.
The situation in Uttarakhand reflects a broader pattern of climatic shifts in the western Himalaya, where a “snow drought” driven by weak winter western disturbances has led to significant deficits in snow cover compared with historical norms, according to meteorological observations. In many parts of the higher Himalayan areas in Uttarakhand, the mountain peaks that normally bear substantial snow are reported to be almost bare, raising alarms about water availability for both agriculture and downstream communities.
What is another reason for serious concern is the fact that beyond horticulture, the prolonged dry spell has inflicted severe damage on other agricultural sectors in the hills as well as the valley regions in the state. The farmers say that the extended absence of moisture has decimated pea crops and impeded the growth of rain-fed cereals and oilseeds. Fields without irrigation have either failed to germinate or suffered stunted growth, and unirrigated sowing has been delayed, exacerbating financial pressures on cultivators already grappling with input costs and market uncertainties. Local representatives have noted that wheat and mustard too are under stress, with crops sown months ago failing to thrive in parched soil.
While the government keeps claiming that Uttarakhand is being aggressively promoted as a horticulture state, the scientific studies and state horticulture data indicate that the area under apple cultivation in Uttarakhand has contracted significantly over recent years, shrinking from over 25,000 hectares in 2016–17 to around 11,300 hectares by 2022–23, with a corresponding decline in yield as climate change influences temperature and precipitation patterns. Temperate fruits such as pear, apricot, plum and peach have also seen notable declines, while farmers increasingly experiment with tropical or low-chill varieties better suited to changing conditions.
The government claims to be closely monitoring the situation and remains hopeful that rains or snowfall may yet arrive to salvage a portion of the crop, but growers are cautious in their optimism. Many families in the affected valleys, still recovering from last year’s flash floods and landslides, had pinned hopes on a good apple harvest to bolster their livelihoods. With traditional winter cycles of snow and rain strongly disrupted, the orchardists now face the very real prospect of reduced income and heightened economic uncertainty.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, senior agricultural scientist, Dr SK Singh from GBPUAT, stated that, if the prevailing weather trend persists, both apple production and the yields of other temperate crops are likely to suffer. A major issue is that agriculture and the horticulture in the Uttarakhand hills is mainly rain dependent and do not have access to assured irrigation which could have helped maintain essential soil moisture and to explore adaptive cultivation strategies.
