“My neighbor thought I would lose my mind,” said farmer Kakasahb Sawf.
In 2022, he decided to plant some apple trees, not crazy for farmers, unless like Mr. Sawtooth, you live in the Indian subtropical region and the temperature can reach 43c.
He bought 100 seedlings, 80 of which survived. Last year, each tree produced between 30 and 40 kilograms of fruit.
“My farm has become a local miracle. People travel from faraway places just to see apple trees growing in the hot Maharashtra sun.”
However, this is not an unqualified success. One problem is that Apple is not enough for sale.
Mr. Sawant was still enthusiastic. He has had some success in selling apple tree seedlings and is optimistic about what to do in the future.
“It's a start. The trees are adapting, so according to me, these trees will start to carry good sweet apples over the next four to five years.”
Mr Sawant hopes to meet the rising demand for Apple in India in his own small way.
In the past five years, production has increased by 15% to 2.5 million tons.
But S Chandrashekhar, who analyzes India's Apple trade, said that this does not meet demand, with India's imports about doubled to 600,000 tons.
“We do lack Apple production,” he said. “Not many new players … and there are no new investments.”
It is crucial for good apple crops to be the long winter temperature between 0C and 6C.
A country like the UK, with about 1,000 hours of cold time, can produce almost any apple variety.
But in India, the conditions are more limited.
Most of the apples in India come from two regions in the northern part of the country – Jammu and Kashmir and neighboring Himaal Pradesh.
Mr Chandrashekhar said many of the farms in these areas were less productive.
“There are a lot of old orchards that produce less apples – which means production is down,” he said.
He said climate change has made the situation unfavorable.
Study on planting apples in subtropical lanches in eastern India [BAU]
To expand apple production into new areas, some scientists and farmers are trying what are called low-key varieties.
These are apple trees that can produce temperatures of about 400 hours between 0C and 6C.
Eastern India Ranchi is also not a region where apples grow – its subtropical climate is too hot.
But researchers at Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) are testing 18 seedlings of 18 low-key varieties.
So far, success has been limited – only one variety produces any fruit.
“These plants are not yet at their best sizes. This tree has only given us about one to two kilograms of apples in 2024. I won't say they are of the best quality, but they are edible.”
He said that apart from an unfavorable climate, the local soil is not ideal for apple trees, and the trees are attacked by termites.
“This is an experimental phase. It takes three to four years to say whether it is successful.”
He said some local farmers have also been trying low-key apple varieties, but have not succeeded.
Apple growers in India are struggling to keep up with demand [Getty Images]
Some people doubt that apples grown in hot areas are always a business proposition.
“Fruits grown in non-traditional areas have a short shelf life. The taste is not that sweet,” said Dr. Dinesh Thakur, deputy director of the Regional Horticulture Research and Training Center at the University of Horticulture YS, University of Palma.
“These low-key apples can be grown as novel fruits in kitchen gardens, but their viability as commercial crops has not been proven…most are failing,” he said.
Dr Thakur is located in the northern growing region of traditional apples in Himaal Pradesh, and his research focuses on improving apples through breeding.
“Climate change is causing damage to apple cultivation,” he said.
He said the number of these key snubs is declining, and farmers face huge financial losses each year due to unstable weather.
He said some orchards were being planted at higher sites that were once considered too cold in search of better conditions.
Under a government-sponsored project, his team is trying 300 kinds of apples to assess the impact of climate change.
“We are also working on climate vulcanized apple genotypes that can withstand existing climates,” he said.
So far, they have developed an apple that matures two months earlier than the existing apple tree.
“This helps offset the unstable weather patterns brought about by climate change and has a quality advantage over areas where color formation problems are caused by lack of sunlight,” Dr Thakur said.
“This is just the beginning of research to create climate-resilient fruits and create fruits that are acceptable to Indian taste buds.”
For Mr Chandrashekhar, increasing the output of India’s apples is not just a scientific effort.
“The traditional apple orchards in apple-growing areas are 15 to 20 years old. New saplings need to be supplemented,” he said.
“The industry needs investment, huge investments. Who will do this?” he asked.
He hopes to see the juice and jam business grow, providing another source of revenue for the industry.
“It has to be a booster that can improve the Apple economy and provide a better position for Apple growers.”
