Shimla, Sept. 16 -- The impact of climate change on Himachal Pradesh's apple economy, valued at over Rs.5,500 crore, has become increasingly visible, with market arrivals down 44% from last year.

Concerned over the impact of climate change on apple production and the shifting of the apple belt to higher altitudes, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had directed a team from the horticulture university to study the situation and determine measures to safeguard apple cultivation amidst changing weather patterns.

Touted to be the backbone of the state's economy, around 2.50 lakh orchardists are directly engaged in apple cultivation across the districts of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, and Sirmaur. The apple harvest...