Apple is the most important crop in the state constituting about 76% of the total fruit production. Main varieties are Royal Delicious, Red Delicious, Rich-A-Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. HPMC has exported quality apples to Iran , UAE, Sri Lanka , Singapore and U.K. Fresh apples are available from August to November on firm demand.

It is the main producer of Apple Juice concentrate in the country. Concentrate of Orange, Pear, Plum, Strawberry besides pulps of all the above fruits. Various squashes, jams, canned products, apple cider, cider vinegar, Apple and Plum wine, juices in tetra packs, natural and blended juices, baby corn, mushroom in brine and varieties of pickles.

Plan had been formulated to provide quality carton boxes for apples at reasonable prices. Adequate apple collection centres would be set up in the state by the HPMC. Marketing of apple under the Market Intervention Scheme(MIS). Adequate arrangements for trucks for transportation of apples. Two fruit based wineries are coming up at Shimla and Mandi districts with a cost of Rs 30 crore. Tie up with Indian Railways.

A round-the-clock control room and about 100 collection centres would be set up in Himachal Pradesh to ensure smooth procurement and transportation of HPMC products. Trucks coming from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh for transporting apples have been exempted from payment of goods tax. HPMC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. Haridwar for sale and purchase of Apple Juice Concentrate and other products initially for a period of two years.

Volume insufficiency, low productivity, quality deficiencies, technological deficiencies, high production and transport cost and lack of postharvest infrastructural facilities.

Growth rate of output needs to be stepped up. Growth must be promoted in the backward hilly tracts of non-traditional areas to increase the supplies and cool down domestic prices. To achieve the breakthrough in exports, the areas of efficient production needs to be demarcated and strategies devised to ensure an efficient apple based farming systems.

Farmers will have to be trained about better production of quality through increased investments in R & D efforts. Quality standards as expected by foreign markets will have to be observed. To harness export potentials, information on consumer preferences, psychology, power, needs to be generated through market surveys to identify the thrust products and thrust markets.

Fruit based drinks such as wines, cidar would be produced to diversify the fruit processing industry. Establish community packaging units in rural areas and impart training for the preservation of fruits and vegetables at domestic level. Collaborate with other key players in International market. Packaging should be more aesthetically designed.

Collaborate with Himachal Tourism to promote HPMC products( target foreign visitors). Popularizing HPMC products as Swedeshi products and highlighting their medicinal value.