Mussoorie, Sept. 27 -- The Uttarakhand government has begun procurement of apples from the disaster-hit Dharali-Harsil belt of Uttarkashi district, bringing partial relief to farmers whose livelihoods were battered by heavy crop losses during the July-August monsoon. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced apple procurement in the affected region last week, but the exercise could not begin until Thursday evening due to poor road conditions and farmers' inability to transport produce to the centres, officials said. According to Rajneesh Singh, chief horticulture officer of Uttarkashi, the horticulture department procured 3,468 kg of apples on the first day through its mobile procurement centre at Harsil. "We purchased 600 kg of the Royal Delicious variety at Rs.51 per kg and 2,868 kg of Red Delicious at Rs.45 per kg," he said. The first batch of beneficiaries included farmers from Harsil, Sukki, Dharali, and Bagori villages. However, many growers say the procurement drive has come too late. Erratic weather, untimely hailstorms, and the lack of pesticide supply during the disaster slashed yields, while delays in government action forced farmers to sell to private contractors offering higher rates and instant cash payments. "I had over 300 trees, but half my crop was destroyed. Last year I earned Rs.6-7 lakh, this year only Rs.2 lakh so far and no compensation for the damaged crop," said Rakesh Panwar, a farmer from Dharali. Another orchard owner, Sanjay Panwar, who has over 1,000 trees, said: "Government procurement was announced too late. Private buyers came to the village and paid on the spot, so most of us had no choice but to sell directly to them." Several farmers also complained about the absence of compensation for completely damaged orchards....