Erratic weather leaves fruit farmers, hospitality industry worried in HP

› The weather vagaries this time are proving detrimental for the fruit crops. I don’t think that hails and storms have spared any apple belt in the region HEMRAJ SHARMA, Director of horticulture

SHIMLA: Erratic weather condition, including frequent hail and storm, has left those in the horticulture and tourism sector a harried lot. While farmers are worried about their crop prospects, the dip in inflow of visitors into the state, which normally picks up pace during the summer months, has come as a cause of concern for the tourism industry.

Hail, accompanied by squall, has caused damage to apple crop and pear in Rohru sub-division of Shimla district. “At midnight, the area was hit by a hailstorm, which spoilt the apple crop, which had grown to the size of a walnut,” says Thakur Bhagat Singh Thakur, a progressive apple grower of Brasli village in Rohru.

The hail also pounded apple orchards in Summerkot, Machoti and Khadrala belt. “The weather vagaries this time are proving detrimental for the fruit crops. I don’t think that hails and storms have spared any apple belt in the region," director (horticulture) Hemraj Sharma told Hindustan Times.

So far, the unfavourable weather has caused a loss of ₹82.84 crore in the state and its is likely to escalate with the weather department predicting more hail and rain in the next 48 hours. To save apple orchards from the wrath of rain gods, farmers in Shimla district are now evoking local deities to protect their cops, while others want the government make anti-hail guns, set up by the previous BJP government, functional. When the Congress assumed power, it discouraged the use of anti-hails guns not because of poor reliability but because of political reasons. The Congress then encouraged the farmers to purchase anti-hails nets to protect the crops. Apart from apple, which is the major cash crop, the squalls and hails have also caused tremendous loss to the mangoes growing in Kangra, Bilaspur and Hamirpur district. So far, hail and squall have damaged fruit crops on 22,916 hectares of land in the fruit-growing areas of the state.

Strong velocity winds damaged mango crop mainly in Nurpur sub-division of Kangra district. “Farmers in Nurpur should be compensated for the crop loss,” former legislator and BJP leader Rakesh Pathania said.

The erratic weather conditions has also raised concerns for the hospitality industry. There has been 10 to 20 percent dip in tourist inflow over the last one week. “Usually the weekends, witness a heavy rush but this time it cannot be seen,” says Harman Kukreja, president of Shimla hotel and restaurateur association.

Shimla recorded a maximum of 24°C, Dharamsala 28.8°C, Kalpa 21.2°C on Friday while the minimum temperature in Shimla recorded at 11°C, Kalpa 5°C, Manali 8.8°C and Dharamsala 18.8°C.

Ashish Thakur, a tour operator, said low temperature may be attractive for tourists but heavy rain has been playing the spoilsport. “As Shimla saw heavy rains in the last couple of days, many tourists are hesitant to come to Shimla fearing road block and other kind of damages,” he said.