The hill state, Himachal Pradesh, contributes to about 90 per cent of the total apple production.

Initial reports indicate that apple growers have already begun their exercise of sales and are in touch with middlemen in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai.

Some prominent apple growers have represented to the Himachal Pradesh chief minister that middlemen in Azadpur Mandi of Delhi, the main terminal market often exploited growers and gave them a lower price.

They have sought at least two members of the marketing board be nominated from Himachal Pradesh to ensure a proper price mechanism for growers. The agents charge eight per cent as commission on gross sales. They have suggested that terminal market constructed at Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh bordering Haryana be made functional. There is an urgent need to increase the capacity of fruitprocessing unit at Parwanoo. Initially the growers were apprehending a poor crop in view of erratic weather. Some apple crop had been affected in the lower areas of Himachal Pradesh.

But now the crop has crossed the flowering stage and unless the weather turns hostile, Himachal Pradesh is surely heading for a record bumper crop, growers said.

Experts point out that flowering, pollination and fruit setting had been smooth. In the upper Shimla belt known as the Apple bowl, apple growers are all smiles as it would be after many years, that the apple crop would be bumper. Successive crop failures, attack of red mites had done much harm to the crop for the last few years.

In fact the scab had taken the form of epidemic and the outbreak of premature defoliation of apple and red spider mites had resulted in decline in the apple crop over the years.

Particularly in areas like Shimla,Mandi and Kulu, an invasion by European red mite had affected the crop. In 1997, about 62 per cent of the apple orchards hadbeen affected by the mite.

Four team of scientists have visited Chamba, Kulu, Shimla and Kinnaur, the main apple growing areas and their reports suggest that the apple crop would be unprecedented. The Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry has also sent its team of experts to visit the apple growing belts to look into the first information reports.

Apple is the backbone of the economy of Himachal Pradesh and peculiar topography and agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the state were ideally suited for the production of different types of apples. Out of total area of 190,000 hectares under fruit crops, apple occupies almost half of area and 90 per cent of total fruit production. It generates a revenue of about Rs 300 crores for the state.

Plucking of the crop begins in July every year in mid hill areas and during September in upper belt and labourers from Nepal throng the apple growing belts in Himachal Pradesh for this purpose. The Himachal Pradesh government provides a minimum supportprice for the apple and the growers have represented to the state to fix at least a MSP of Rs six per per kg.

A former Chief minister, Ram Lal, has, however, demanded a Minimum Support Price of Rs 4.50 per kg for the ensuing crop and has called for rationalisation of road tax as it puts additional burden on growers in the interior areas of the hill state. Meanwhile, scientists, experts, horticulturists and growers are keeping their fingers crossed and pray that there be no hail storms that could shatter their hopes of a jump in yields in the hill state.