Mar 7, 2020
Bumper crop of apples seems to be the only mitigation
Though the economic slowdown seemingly caused a sharp nose-dive in Himachal Pradesh’s growth rate, which has gone down to 5.6 % as compared to 7.1 % in 2018-19, a bumper apple crop has brought down the damage to a great extent.
According to a reliable survey, 2019-20 has indicated an increase of 6.6 per cent in the per capita income from Rs. 183,108 to Rs. 195,255, yet the adverse impact of the slowdown is more than apparent in practically all sectors in the state.
Fortunately, the increase of 42.8 per cent in horticultural production particularly in apples and other climatic fruits, has helped to stabilize the economy and preventing any further deterioration. With a bumper apple crop, the yield reached the mark of 664,000 tons this fiscal as compared to 368,000 tons in 2018-19. In sharp contrast to this bumper crop, the production of all nuts, dry fruits, citrus and sub-tropical fruits has declined considerably.