DEHRADUN: Over 60% of apple orchards in India are producing inferior quality fruit and need to be replaced. This was an observation made by horticulturists and farmers gathered in Dehradun from across the country to participate in the two-day National Apple Festival. A number of experts said that many of the apple trees in the country have grown too old to produce good quality fruit which is adversely impacting apple production. In 2013, a scheme was started by the Union government which was intended to motivate farmers to replace old trees with new ones by giving them an incentive. "I have over 80 apple trees which were planted by my father in the 1950s but today they are not of much use.

Source: Times of India September 17, 2016 23:50 UTC