Lok Sabha Question No. 1050 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-22
Subject: National Apple Festival
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, SUDHEER GUPTA, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, VIJAY KUMAR S.R., BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1050

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 22 ND  NOVEMBER, 2016

## NATIONAL APPLE FESTIVAL

1050.      SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI  ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN:

KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH:

SHRI  SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN:

SHRI  S.R. VIJAYAKUMAR:

SHRI  BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether two days National Apple Festival was held in Dehradun recently and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether a number of experts said that many of the apple trees in the country have grown too old to produce good quality fruit which is adversely impacting apple production and over 60 per cent of apple orchards in India are producing inferior quality fruit and need to be replaced;
- (c) if so, the facts thereof and losses suffered due to decrease in production during each of the last three years and the current year;
- (d) whether  the  Union  Government  has  started  a  scheme  which  intended  to  motivate farmers to replace their old trees with new ones by giving them an incentive;
- (e) if so, the details of the scheme and the result thereof; and
- (f) the further steps taken/being taken by the Government to improve quality and quantity of apples produced in the country and initiate a massive drive of uprooting all apple trees which were over 50 years old?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a): Yes,  Madam.      The  two  days  National  Apple  Festival,  organized  by  Department  of Horticulture  &  Food  Processing Uttarakhand was held  during 17-18 September 2016 at Veer Shiromani Madho Singh Bhandari Kisan Bhawan, Ring Road, Dehradun.

(b) & (c): Department of Horticulture & Food Processing Uttarakhand has informed that few participants in the Apple Festival mentioned about decline in production and quality but gave no authentic statistics in support of their assertion.

It is a fact that apple orchards which are more than 50 years old are mostly on seedling rootstock  and  not  in  high  density  plantation  system  and  hence  are  less  productive,  having inferior fruit quality, and are disease and pest susceptible. However, only limited varieties are being  grown  in  such  orchards.  Area  expansion/  new  orchards  which  are  using  high  density grafted plants mostly on clonal rootstock varieties which have better productivity.

All  India  area  and  production  statistics  for  the  last  three  years  reveals  that  there  is  no decline in apple production.  The production has in-fact increased from 19.15 Lakh MT in 201213 to 28.72 Lakh MT in 2015-16 (3 rd estimates) and the productivity has also increased from 6.15  Mt/ha  in  2012-13  to  9.16  Mt/ha  in  2015-16  (3 rd estimates).  This  is  primarily  because  of progressive  replacement  of  old  and  senile  orchards  with  high  density  plantation  system  with high yielding and superior varieties and area expansion under new orchards.

(d) & (e): Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare has been implementing Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a centrally sponsored scheme to promote holistic growth of horticulture.

Under MIDH, Horticulture Mission for  North East  & Himalayan  States  (HMNEH) has a component for Rejuvenation / Replacement of senile plantation  and  canopy management for apple orchards. Under HMNEH financial assistance to individual farmers, farmer's cooperatives, Self-Help groups, growers associations and commodity organizations are provided for rejuvenating/replanting  senile  plantations  @20000  per  hectare  (ha)  limited  to  2  ha  per beneficiary.

- (f): In order to  improve quality and quantity  of apples produced in the country the following steps have been taken:
-  To promote the quality production of apple in Uttarakhand, the State Government has taken an initiative by launching a new scheme- 'Apple Mission' in the year 2015-16. The scheme is implemented to promote use of grafted apple plants on clonal root stock under ultra High Density Plantation (HDP) including installation of Drip, Anti Hail net etc.for higher production in lesser area.
-  State also implemented a new scheme with increased State share for Rejuvenation of old and senile orchards including apple i.e. Rs. 30000/ha per beneficiary (Rs. 20000 GoI share under HMNEH+Rs. 30000 State share amounting to total Rs. 50000/ha).
-  To promote latest technology and production of planting material with suitable root stock a Center of Excellence for temperate fruits including apple is being setup under HMNEH at Kanatal (Tehri) under Uttarakhand University of Horticulture & Forestry with total grant of Rs. 4.98 Crore.
-  In Himachal Pradesh, the State is implementing a World Bank assisted 'Himachal Pradesh Horticulture  Development  Project'  with  a  total  outlay  of  Rs.  1170  Crore  which  includes interventions for productivity enhancement of fruit crops through import of elite plant material and    it    is   envisaged   under   this   project  that the majority of old apple orchards shall be

rejuvenated/ replaced with latest improved imported elite plant material to increase quality, production of apple fruit through scientific management of existing orchards.

-  In J&K, in order to enhance production and productivity of apples the state is promoting High Density  plantation  by  using  suitable  rootstocks  and  spur  type  cultivars  for  reducing  the gestation  period  and  increasing  productivity.  They  are  also  phasing  out  old  plantation  by replanting new apple varieties on suitable rootstocks.

In  addition,  Indian  council  of  agriculture  research  -  central  institute  of  temperate horticulture Srinagar (ICAR-CITH Srinagar) has undertaken following research projects and research to improve quality of apples:

-  Canopy management and plant architectural engineering in apple, pear and peach.
-  Energy  harvest  through  plant  architectural  engineering  for  increasing  source  and  sink relationship in apple.
-  Standardization of medium, medium high and high density orcharding in temperate fruits and nuts.

Further, a Variety, CITH-Lodh apple -1 (red) has been developed by ICAR-CITH in 2009 which  gives  30  tonnes/ha  yield  under  traditional  system  of  planting.  Further  experiments  on High Density Plantation of this variety are going on and are expected to give higher yield.

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