Apple prices across Shimla district’s mandis are running roughly 18% above last season’s harvest average, according to trader reports from Shimla, Kotgarh and Rohru — the state’s three largest apple markets. Here’s a breakdown of what’s driving it and what growers are seeing on the ground.
What’s pushing prices up
Traders point to two overlapping factors: an uneven flowering season in April that reduced yield in several mid-altitude orchards, and stronger demand from wholesale buyers in Delhi and Chandigarh entering the market earlier than usual this year. Growers in higher-altitude belts around Kotgarh, where flowering was less affected, are reporting comparatively better volumes than the Rohru side.
Current rates
- Shimla mandi: ₹68–82 per kg, grade-dependent
- Kotgarh: ₹72–88 per kg for premium grade
- Rohru: ₹65–78 per kg
Rates vary significantly by grade and box quality — premium controlled-atmosphere storage fruit is fetching the top end of these ranges, while lower-grade fruit sold for immediate processing is well below it.
What growers are saying
Several orchardists in the Kotgarh belt say the higher prices only partly offset a difficult season — hailstorm damage in early summer cut into marketable yield even where flowering held up. The Universal Cartons rate, which growers use as a rough benchmark for packaging costs, has also risen this year, eating into the margin the higher per-kg price would otherwise deliver.
This page will be updated through the harvest season as mandi rates shift — check back rather than relying on a single snapshot if you’re tracking prices closely.
