Apple Harvesting season in Himachal Pradesh
Welcome to our channel page Today, we take you to a visit to our apple orchard in Kullu Valley, Situated near Sarsai, Dashal, Bharhka.
The entire district Kullu is known as the apple orchard of Himachal Pradesh- a tiny hill state of India.
It was the British who introduced apples in the Kullu valley. They found that the height of Kullu ranged from 4000 to 75000 feet, which was ideal for the plantation of apples. First of all Captain R.C. Lee took the initiative of apple farming in 1860. He purchased a patch of 33 acres of land in Bandrol and asked his father to send the saplings of apple, plum, pear, and cherry from England. He planted eight species of apples in Kullu viz. Waldvin, Stayfad, Pippin, Wine apple, Uthalo, Newton, Green Smith, and Winter. In pears the varieties were William Favorite, Wartlet, Easter Wayvwer, Danny Dew Comis, etc. , R.C. Lee died in 1912.
Apple harvesting season in Himachal kicks off in mid-July and continues till November, depending upon the apple variety and location of apple orchards. Apple season is labour and capital intensive, right from December -January (Fertilisation and Propagation stage) it culminates at Harvest in November. A full year of hard labour. Around 13-15 pesticides , insecticides, fungicides are sprayed during the period till final harvest.
With apple season in Kullu district picking up pace, workers from Nepal are the most trusted for executing works in orchards, including harvesting, carriage, packaging and loading of boxes. Every year nepalese people come in large numbers to Kullu (entire Himachal state rather) during the apple harvest season to earn money.
However, it wasn’t until Samuel Stokes, an American missionary, entered the scene that apple cultivation gained momentum. Settling in Kotgarh, Stokes brought several apple saplings from America, experimenting with various strains until he settled on the Red and Golden Delicious varieties. His efforts culminated in the first apple sales from his orchard in 1926.
In Kullu, around 24,000 hectares was covered under apple cultivation, which is the sole source of livelihood for area residents
The entire district Kullu is known as the apple orchard of Himachal Pradesh- a tiny hill state of India.
It was the British who introduced apples in the Kullu valley. They found that the height of Kullu ranged from 4000 to 75000 feet, which was ideal for the plantation of apples. First of all Captain R.C. Lee took the initiative of apple farming in 1860. He purchased a patch of 33 acres of land in Bandrol and asked his father to send the saplings of apple, plum, pear, and cherry from England. He planted eight species of apples in Kullu viz. Waldvin, Stayfad, Pippin, Wine apple, Uthalo, Newton, Green Smith, and Winter. In pears the varieties were William Favorite, Wartlet, Easter Wayvwer, Danny Dew Comis, etc. , R.C. Lee died in 1912.
Apple harvesting season in Himachal kicks off in mid-July and continues till November, depending upon the apple variety and location of apple orchards. Apple season is labour and capital intensive, right from December -January (Fertilisation and Propagation stage) it culminates at Harvest in November. A full year of hard labour. Around 13-15 pesticides , insecticides, fungicides are sprayed during the period till final harvest.
With apple season in Kullu district picking up pace, workers from Nepal are the most trusted for executing works in orchards, including harvesting, carriage, packaging and loading of boxes. Every year nepalese people come in large numbers to Kullu (entire Himachal state rather) during the apple harvest season to earn money.
However, it wasn’t until Samuel Stokes, an American missionary, entered the scene that apple cultivation gained momentum. Settling in Kotgarh, Stokes brought several apple saplings from America, experimenting with various strains until he settled on the Red and Golden Delicious varieties. His efforts culminated in the first apple sales from his orchard in 1926.
In Kullu, around 24,000 hectares was covered under apple cultivation, which is the sole source of livelihood for area residents
