More snow a worry for plum growers

Shimla, March 9

The Meteorological Department has issued a forecast for another spell of rain and snow in the state, causing some anxiety among the stone fruit growers, especially the plum growers in the upper Shimla area. Some varieties of the fruit, especially the Redbeaut variety, is in the middle of flowering and another spell of rain and snow, accompanied by a sharp fall in temperatures, could harm the fruit.

“We need at least 4-5 days of clear sun wherever the plum trees are in full bloom for a good fruit set. If the temperatures fall sharply due to the precipitation, the plum growers will suffer losses,” said Deepak Singha, a stone fruit grower from Kotgarh.

Kapur Jistu, another plum grower who has orchards at a low elevation of 4,000 feet, says their orchards are in full bloom, but they aren’t sure about how good the fruit set will be. “Due to rain and snowfall in higher reaches a few days back, the temperatures dipped sharply. A few varieties are very sensitive to sudden variation in temperatures, and fruit setting gets affected. So, we don’t know what exactly will happen,” said Jistu. “We need dry and sunny weather for a few days. It will be very helpful in the setting of fruit,” he said.

As per the weather department, precipitation could start in high hills from tomorrow onwards, and it’s likely to continue till March 15. The maximum intensity and distribution of rain and snow is expected on March 13 and 14.

Already, March has seen around 200 per cent more than normal precipitation in the state.