00:00An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
00:06Yes, eat an apple and stay healthy.
00:11Welcome to our channel Countryside Travels.
00:15Today we will take you on a tour of our apple orchard.
00:20In today's video, we will tell you some history related to apple farming and apple farming in Himachal.
00:29Before proceeding, please subscribe to this channel.
00:33So let's go ahead in this video.
00:49In our mountains, it is said that both son and grandson ask for love and care.
00:54And the same is true with the apple tree.
00:59Apple fruit is pest and weather sensitive.
01:05And it needs a lot of care.
01:08It has a spray of 13 to 15 pesticides and insecticides.
01:12And every year about 700 to 1200 chilling hours are required.
01:16That is, this crop is produced in a cold climate.
01:20Chilling hours means the number of hours in a year when the temperature should be below 7 degrees but above the freezing point.
01:29But now, after progress in science, there are some varieties that need less chilling hours.
01:36Like Anna, a variety of golden delicious apple, which needs about 300 to 400 chilling hours.
01:45When we are making this video, it is the month of September and the fruit season is at its peak.
01:51And the apple is being plucked.
01:54And then it is taken to the grading houses.
01:59Grades are made there.
02:01Size, color and quality firmness decides the grades.
02:05There are sizes like extra large, large, medium, small and big grade.
02:14This is a black apple.
02:17There are some red dots in the middle.
02:20Let's try and see how it is.
02:24I will have to wash it first.
02:29So this is the packing going on here.
02:31Grades are made here.
02:32This big size is large.
02:34This is medium.
02:36And this is small.
02:38The apple crop is labor intensive.
02:40It takes a lot of labor and effort throughout the year.
02:46And when the year starts, when the trees are in dormancy,
02:52the trees need pruning.
02:54Then the pits are made, which in our language is called Daur.
02:59And then organic matter, fertilizers are given to the roots.
03:05Nutrients are given to the roots.
03:08And all this happens around December and January, February.
03:14And then as soon as March comes, the plant propagation is done.
03:19Which we also call Lagana in Kalmi.
03:23This is the period when the plant, the tree,
03:28is about to come into the active stage of dormancy.
03:33Because at the start of the video, as I told you,
03:36the apple is a very sensitive crop.
03:38And it needs to be sprayed with insecticide and pesticide spray.
03:45And if there is any mistime,
03:48then ultimately the quality of the fruit,
03:50the diseases, can save this tree.
03:55And we also have to rely to a great extent on external factors,
03:59such as rain and how much sunlight there will be.
04:02So that also decides the quality of the apple.
04:05This is the quality code.
04:36So there are a lot of new varieties of apples,
04:39which are in production for almost a year now.
04:42And the apple season starts in July,
04:45and continues till October.
05:06And when the grades are ready,
05:09you can see the crates in front of you.
05:12They are filled in these crates,
05:14and they are sent to the vegetable market.
05:18And there are some apple orchards,
05:20who send it directly to the various markets of the country.
05:25So the choice is very good.
05:28They send it directly to the various markets of the country.
05:33So the choice totally depends on the prevailing price.
05:39If they get a good price, then they sell it here.
05:41Otherwise, they send it to other places by transport.
05:46This is a famous vegetable market here,
05:48Banrol vegetable market.
05:50And here in the morning,
05:51at 6 in the morning,
05:52at 5 or 6 o'clock,
05:53people start selling apples.
05:57And see how crowded it is right now.
06:01There are so many apple crates here.
06:26There is a question that I would like to ask all the viewers.
06:38The farmer who has an apple orchard,
06:42what is the price of apples in the range of Rs. 50 to Rs. 150 to Rs. 200?
06:53And what is the value of apples in your area?
06:56Write in the comment section.
06:59And tell me,
07:01do you think the farmer gets the right price for this fruit?
07:06And as I said at the beginning of the video,
07:09it is a very sensitive crop.
07:11And a lot of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides have to be sprayed to save it.
07:17And it is a very cost-intensive crop.
07:21And we would like to know your reaction to this.
07:25Do write in the comment section.
07:29This is the winter green variety of apple.
07:35In winters, when the apple tree is dormant,
07:38the stem of the apple is pruned.
07:40Pruning ensures adequate amount of sunlight,
07:43exposure to fruit, leaf and stem.
07:51The apple tree is now in full bloom.
08:02Right now, the plucking is going on.
08:07And we pluck the apples that are in full bloom.
08:11And if the small size apple is in full bloom,
08:16then we pluck it as well.
08:18Because there are chances that it will not grow bigger than this.
08:22And after this, we take it to our packing house.
08:26And here we prepare the grade.
08:47This is a black apple.
08:50There are some red dots in the middle.
08:53Let's try and see how it is.
08:57First, we have to wash it.
08:59And this year, we are seeing a very interesting thing.
09:02The demand for apples is very high.
09:04And the buyers from far and wide,
09:07from all corners of India,
09:09are directly reaching the orchard.
09:12And if the price is fair and competitive,
09:16then we sell these apples here as well.
09:19Or they purchase it from the tree itself.
09:22They purchase the apples from the tree.
09:25Or the pile that we have planted here,
09:28in our packing house,
09:30they decide the price based on the color and size
09:33and purchase it here.
09:35So, the apple orchards here,
09:39whatever they feel is right,
09:42whatever they get at a good price,
09:44they sell it accordingly.
09:47Or there is a local vegetable market,
09:49where they are transported.
09:52And daily, they are sold there in the morning.
09:55And based on the market conditions,
09:57they are sold.
09:59The quality of the apple,
10:01there are all the parameters
10:03that it has to meet.
10:05Like color, size, shape, firmness,
10:08crispness, acidity, soluble solids,
10:11which decide the quality of the apple.
10:13And the apple meets all these parameters
10:16when it gets optimal weather conditions.
10:19The apple tree needs sunlight, rainfall,
10:22moisture, fertilizers and nutrients
10:25at the right time, at the right place.
10:29The British started the apple farming in Kullu.
10:32In 1860, for the first time,
10:34Captain R.C. Lee initiated the apple farming here.
10:37He purchased 33 acres of land in Kullu's Bandol village.
10:41And he requested his father
10:43to send plum, pear, apple and cherry saplings here.
10:48These saplings were imported from England.
10:51He planted 8 apple varieties here.
10:54And then more and more Britishers came here,
10:57and they also purchased land here
10:59and did apple farming.
11:01There is a very interesting thing
11:03related to apples.
11:05It is said that the first Central Asian region
11:08to get an apple was Kazakhstan.
11:10And after that, it spread all over the world.
11:35So friends, now it is time to leave.
11:38I hope you liked this video very much.
11:41See you in the next video.
11:44Take care.
12:06Subscribe to our channel.
12:09Keep watching Countryside Travels.
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