'Apple trees fruiting in one year due to development in horticulture'

Known for his works in the field of horticulture, Sudhir Chadha claims to have achieved a major development in the field of horticulture. He avers that apple saplings provided by him have started bearing fruits in one year of plantation due to technical enhancements made by him.

According to Chadha, for consistent production of apples, the horticulturists have to wait eight to 10 years. During this time, the cultivators have to put in considerable hard work and attention to the apple trees. Despite much apple production in the nation, numerous tonnes of the fruit have to be imported from abroad. He toured various nations including Italy and Holland to study and gain technological inputs from there to develop a new variety of apple for Uttarakhand. Trees of this variety planted in parts of the state have started yielding fruits in one year. He says that in five years, a farmer can earn up to Rs 5-10 lakh from an orchard covering one hectare. He believes that if the farmers in Uttarkashi decide to work wholeheartedly in apple cultivation, this district alone would produce enough quantity of apples to do away with the need to import this fruit.