The apple industry in Himachal Pradesh is facing an acute labour shortage that has forced growers to find ways to overcome the problem.
The growers are having to modernise quickly and embrace new technologies. The government in the state has recently received a number of applications for the setting up of grading plants for sorting the crop.
Usually much of the sorting work is carried out by Nepalese labourers, but recently there has been a decline in the flow of such workers.
The reason for the lack of available Nepalese workers is land reforms in their own country which have made it more attractive to stay.
Apple growers have been struggling with labour shortages for a number of years now, but this year everyone seems to agree that it is worse than ever.
In wake of the labour shortage, many orchard owners in Kotgarh have installed small single line units to grade apples.
Ramesh Bhalaik, a progressive apple grower from Bhutti village, is one of the many to have set up single line grading unit in his orchards. "These days, it has become difficult to get labourers and those employed in orchards are used for plucking fruit," says Bhalaik.
The Himachal government is aware of the labour woes in apple orchards. The State Horticultural Produce Marketing Corporation is setting up state-of-the-art grading units at Oddi in Shimla, Patlikhul in Kullu, Jarol in Mandi, Gumma in Kotkhai and in Kinnaur. Each computer-controlled grading unit will cost Rs. 1.65 crore. Officials say each plant can grade about 200 apple boxes in an hour.
