The Himachal Pradesh government has received permission from the Union Ministry of Agriculture to import chemicals and machinery to combat serious problems afflicting apple production, an official said on Saturday.
The Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce, Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) could soon import chloropicrin from the US-based Trinity Mfg. Inc. and provide it to the University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni for trials.
A spokesperson of the horticulture department said the chemicals would be used to combat serious problems of specific apple plant diseases and would go a long way in managing soil borne pathogens affecting other fruits, vegetables and floriculture crops.
Himachal Pradesh is one of India’s major apple-producing regions, with more than 90 per cent of the produce going to the domestic market. Apples alone constitute 84 per cent of the state’s fruit economy of Rs 3,500 crore ($520 million).
