Click to play videoKinnaur : As India debates measures to tackle global warming at the Bali summit, the problem has already hit home and is eating into the profits of the multi-crore-rupee apple industry in Himachal Pradesh.
It's been five decades since apple cultivation began in the Sangla Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Over the years, it has grown into a multi-crore-rupee industry. But now, the apple-growing season is changing due to subtle changes in the environment.
The picturesque Sangla Valley in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh is considered the land of snow capped peaks and golden apples.
Lakhs and lakhs of crates of apples are brought down to the winding roads, and are packed into trucks and taken to markets across the country, but apple growers of the region are gripped by a new kind of fear these days.
Apple cultivator Om Negi says,”The apples, which used to flower till late October, now ripen early. This is simply because the weather is changing.”
Farmers claim weather changes are affecting production. Some like Negi have started cultivating alternative crops. Though there's no drop in production, officials admit the climate variations are a matter of concern.
Deputy Commissioner Kinnaur, Sudha Devi says production has not come down. Last year it was 18 lakh boxes and this year it has been more than 20 lakh boxes, so production has not come down. But it is a major concern.
So much so that this is now becoming political fodder in the region.
BSP candidate, Kinnaur, Sushil Sana says, “The biggest issue we have is against the big projects coming up in Kinnaur. These projects are going to take on a dangerous form. Kinnaur is known for apples but these apples are endangered due to the big projects.”
Things are changing in Sangla. Modernity and new dams are coming up. But the locals detect a subtle change in the environment.
The Sangla apple season, which used to go on till mid-December is now ending in mid-November.
Apples are still the pride of the region but what will be the long-term impact of climate change here is still unknown.
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