Himachal apples flood Chennai market

 

Popularly named as ‘Royal’, ‘Red Golden’, and ‘Richard’ among the apple traders, 85-90 per cent of the apples sold in the wholesale and retail markets in Chennai are those arriving from the northern states.

 

“This time the apples have arrived later than expected but sales are higher than expected. The color of the apples is not thick red as showers have not ended in Kulu and Manali. Within a month’s time we can expect such arrivals,” said N.P. Murugan, an apple trader for the last 19 years.

 

“This time around there is a high demand for apples and hence sale has risen by 20 per cent compared with last year. We expect it to rise further after the ‘Aadi’ season ends. Also, sweeter varieties are yet to arrive in the market,” he said.

 

The apples that arrive in large, medium, small, extra small and tiny sizes are currently sold at Rs 120-150 per kilogram in the retail market. Meanwhile, Washington apples are sold at Rs 170-180 per kg.

 

“I prefer the small apples from Himachal as they are more sweet and preferable for fruit salads and juices compared with other apples,” said T. Vilasini, a homemaker, shopping at the central fruit 

market.

 

Every day 12 loads of apples arrive at the Koyambedu market with each load consisting of 12-15 tonnes comprising 600-700 boxes. In 2014, there were 7-8 loads arriving in the month of August. The wholesale price of apples varies according to their size and quality. When the price of large, medium and small-scale box that consists of 25 kilogram of apple is Rs 2,800, the price of extra small and ‘Pitu’, a tiny apple is Rs 1,700 per box.

 

“A lot of people prefer Himachal apples mainly due to their sweetness. Apple shakes with Himachal apples is preferred by customers as compared with other fruit juices,” said a juice vendor at Ashok Nagar. The Himachal variety will be available in the market till December, after which the Srinagar variety is expected.

 

Why domestic varieties are preferred? There are many in the city who prefer and look forward to the domestic apple varieties instead of the foreign arrivals. One of the main reasons cited by many is the fact that apples from Washington, which are harvested from August 1 to October 30, are usually treated to preserve them before they arrive in the fruit shops across Chennai.

 

The apples are kept in a controlled atmosphere room for a day after which it is cleaned in normal and then in soap water. They are then dried at 10 degree Celsius and sprayed with edible oil, more commonly known as waxing. 

 

“The wax used is made of palm tree leaves and therefore there is no artificial ingredient that is used,” said N. C. Alexander, a trader,  who deals with imported apples in Chennai. 

The apples are then again dried and packed according to its size and the shipped to countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Unlike Indian apples harvested in the North and directly transported, imported apples, on the other hand, are preserved in cold storage.