Himachal Pradesh's apple production is set to tumble by nearly 40% in 2026, shrinking the state's Rs 5,000 crore apple economy and placing 2.5 lakh farming families under severe financial strain, according to the state horticulture department.
Supply Shock: 40% Production Collapse
Apple output in Himachal Pradesh is projected at 4.36 lakh metric tonnes in 2026, down from 6.99 lakh metric tonnes in 2025 — a decline of 2.63 lakh metric tonnes or roughly 2.15 crore boxes, officials reported on Monday. The drop erodes almost two-fifths of the state's production base.
| Metric | 2025 | 2026 (Projected) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple production (lakh MT) | 6.99 | 4.36 | -2.63 (-37.6%) |
| Apple area (hectares) | 1,16,338 | 1,16,338 (stable) | No change |
| Families affected | — | 2.5 lakh | — |
According to Satish Kumar, Director of Horticulture, the current area under apple cultivation stands at around 1.16 lakh hectares, accounting for nearly 49% of the state's total fruit crop area of 2.37 lakh hectares. The area under apple has expanded from just 400 hectares in 1950-51 to 1,16,338 hectares in 2024-25, but this year's weather has overwhelmed even the expanded acreage.
Climate Drivers: Erratic Weather and Rising Temperatures
The horticulture department attributed the downturn to a combination of adverse weather events: insufficient winter snowfall, untimely spring rains, hailstorms, and fluctuating temperatures. Satish Kumar noted that global warming and climate change have raised temperatures by 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius, affecting both apple and stone fruit crops.
"The apple production this year has declined due to unfavourable weather conditions as neither snow nor rains came on time," said apple orchardist Balwant Justa. "Due to a lack of irrigation facilities, we are dependent on the weather."
Chilling hours — a critical factor for apple flowering — have been insufficient. According to Harish Chauhan, president of the Fruit Vegetable Flower Growers Association, traditional apple varieties require between 1,200 and 1,600 chilling hours at temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius, while early varieties need around 600 chilling hours. Warmer winters have reduced the number of effective chilling hours.
Grower Impact and Calls for Support
Apple grower Virender Singh cited higher temperatures, inadequate chilling, hailstorms, and rising input costs for medicines and machinery as compounding challenges. Orchardist Raghubeer Singh Chauhan lamented that "income is going down and it is becoming difficult to sustain on farming as we are dependent on the weather, and there is a dire need to strengthen irrigation facilities." He also noted a lack of awareness about crop insurance schemes.
Growers have appealed to the government to improve irrigation infrastructure and increase outreach on crop insurance so farmers can recover at least part of their losses.
Broader Horticulture View
Stone fruit crops — including apricot, cherry, peach, and plum — have also suffered. Cultivation covers 17,306 hectares (out of 27,386 hectares total under stone fruits). Production is expected to decline marginally from 24,622 metric tonnes last year to around 23,000 metric tonnes in 2026. Despite the setbacks, Satish Kumar noted that growers are still receiving good returns for stone fruits.
The overall uncertainty in Himachal's apple and stone fruit production underscores the vulnerability of the state's horticulture-led economy to climate variability. For traders and procurement teams tracking domestic fruit supplies, the near-40% output loss signals tighter availability and potential upward pressure on prices in domestic markets.
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