India, Oct. 25 -- Himachal Pradesh's apple orchards, long synonymous with prosperity and the state's distinctive hill economy, are facing an increasingly uncertain future. Erratic weather, declining productivity, rising cultivation costs and competition from imported fruit have combined to squeeze orchardists, leaving many struggling to recover even their investment. The sharp fall in production this season has brought these long-standing concerns into sharper focus, raising questions about whether governments at the state and Centre are doing enough to protect one of the region's most important agricultural sectors.

The crisis is not merely about a poor harvest. For thousands of small and marginal growers, apples are the principal sourc...