Eminent plant pathologist and agricultural scientist Dr Sarabjit Singh Chahal has warned that apple growers in Himachal Pradesh could face the same fate as cotton farmers in Punjab and Haryana, who shifted to alternative crops after suffering repeated losses and declining returns.

“In Punjab and Haryana, cotton was once called ‘white gold’. However, farmers became frustrated after suffering severe losses and shifted largely to paddy and wheat cultivation…cotton production has come down manyfold over the past many years. Based on my experience, I have been observing a similar pattern among apple growers,” Chahal said.

His warning comes amid a sharp decline in Himachal Pradesh’s apple output.…