A -harvest facility in Uttarkashi’s Duchanu village is helping apple grower Sundas improve returns while creating seasonal work for people from nearby communities. The unit brings grading, sorting and packaging together before the fruit is sent to markets.
Sundas developed the facility with assistance provided under government schemes being operated under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Support under the HMNEH scheme helped establish a grading hall at a cost of about 2 lakh rupees.
A separate graded packaging and sorting unit was made available through the PMFME scheme, with an approximate cost of 5 lakh rupees. Together, the facilities have given the grower an organised system for handling apples after they are harvested.
How the apple unit works
The grading hall separates apples according to size, colour and quality. The sorting unit then removes fruit that is damaged or unsuitable for dispatch. This allows the produce to be handled in distinct quality categories instead of being sent to market without -harvest classification.
Apples meeting the required quality standards are packed according to grade in corrugated boxes. They are then transported to mandis and other markets. Sundas says machinery has reduced work that once took several days to a process completed within a few hours.
The faster operation saves both time and labour. The packaging process also helps protect apples during their journey to the market and supports efforts to secure better prices for the produce.
Benefits for other growers
The facility is not limited to apples from Sundas’s own orchards. Growers from surrounding areas are also using it to grade and package their harvest. This gives them an opportunity to increase the value of their produce after cultivation.
The unit also creates local employment during the apple season. About 20 to 25 residents from nearby villages receive seasonal work there, extending the economic benefit beyond the owner’s orchards.
Sundas’s experience presents a model in which cultivation is combined with -harvest handling. The available information identifies higher income, services for neighbouring growers and seasonal employment as the main outcomes of the facility.
Conclusion
Sundas’s grading, sorting and packaging unit has strengthened -harvest management for apples in Duchanu, while supporting additional income opportunities for the grower, nearby farmers and 20 to 25 seasonal workers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who developed the apple grading and packaging facility?
Sundas, an apple grower from Duchanu village in Uttarkashi, developed the facility with support from government schemes.
Q. Which schemes supported the facility?
The grading hall received support under the HMNEH scheme, while the graded packaging and sorting unit was provided through the PMFME scheme.
Q. How much did the 2 facilities cost?
The grading hall cost about 2 lakh rupees, and the packaging and sorting unit cost about 5 lakh rupees.
Q. What happens to the apples at the facility?
The apples are graded by size, colour and quality, while damaged fruit is removed during sorting. Suitable apples are packed in corrugated boxes for mandis and markets.
Q. How many local people receive seasonal work?
About 20 to 25 local residents receive employment at the unit during the apple season.
