New Delhi, Friday, September 7. The extended season of rain over upper Kullu has made it difficult for the farmers to harvest apples. Apple harvesting has just started in upper Kullu but due to continuous rain it has become hard to pluck apple.
Apples have ripened and need harvesting but growers find it hard to spend enough time in the orchards as the sky remains overcast and it rains every day. The growers have to pay workers even if they remain idle as rain does not give time to pluck apples. The season of Apple is over in the lower belt of Kullu while the season would last till the end of this month. The absence of sunlight has made apple plants prone to premature falling of leaves, scab and fungal diseases.
Rain affects apple harvesting in many ways as if the rains continued further; it might affect the colour of the standing crop of apple. The growers also do not want to take the risk of plucking, grading and transportation of apple in the wake of rainfall. Fruit plucked during rains hardly fetched better prices in the fruit market as fruits usually develop black spots during rains. Expert believes that plucking during rains is not advisable as it is harmful for the crop.
