Hariman Sharma lets apple travel to India’s warmer climes
10 Feb 2025
Apple, which was the preserve of the cooler Himalayan region in India, is now everywhere – in the East, the West and the South - thanks to one enterprising Himachal farmer, Hariman Sharma.
Hariman revolutionised apple cultivation in India with his HRMN-99 variety that can grow in tropical, sub-tropical, and plain regions where summer temperatures reach 40-45°C, effectively making it cultivable across the country.
Unlike traditional apple varieties that grow in cooler areas, HRMN-99 is just another tropical fruit, like the mango or the banana. At the same time, it is equally juicy and nutritive like any other apple variety.
Hariman’s experiments with apple cultivation started in 1998, when he found that the seeds of some apple he bought from a shop near his Bilaspur home germinated and grew to yield fruits in just three years.
Breaking the Climate Myth
Apple is traditionally grown in altitudes of around 5,000 feet and also needed 1,000 to 1,500 hours of chill to start yielding. Bilaspur, however, is only 1,800 feet above sea level. The apple tree in his backyard excited Hariman who started further research in taking the chill out of apple.
He then switched to grafting for propagation, initially using a plum tree as the medium, as other apple trees were not available anywhere nearby.
The grafting was a success and the grafted trees yielded good quality apple. And, during the years 2003-05, Hariman successfully grafted crab apple seedlings bought from Shimla, expanding his backyard orchard.
He now uses crab apple seedlings brought regularly from Kashmir for grafting.
The final result is an apple variety that withstands the scab disease that is characteristic of trees in cooler areas, and can be grown anywhere. The plant grows up to 12-15 feet and starts yielding after three years.
Apple tree needs regular pruning, which can be done at the end of November or early December.
Flowering starts in early January and harvesting can be done after June. The ripe fruit is yellow-red in colour, has normal size and is sweet enough. However, it has a comparatively low shelf life of about 10-12 days at room temperature. A grown up plant gives an average yield of 100 kg.
Taking Apple National
Hariman has already distributed thousands of plants to farmers around the country.
With help from the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Hariman is currently engaged in research to extend the shelf life of the new apple variety. NIF is also helping Hariman to conduct multi-location trials of the apple variety.
Over the past two years, NIF has taken cultivation of HRMN-99 to most parts of the country, and with good results, while seven states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur reported fruiting in just one year.
While apple cultivation is only catching up across the country, HRMN -99 has a transformative impact on India’s horticultural ecosystem. The extension of apple cultivation across the country will leave farmers with enough exportable surplus after meeting domestic demand.
The government has bestowed the civil honour of Padma Shri on Hariman Sharma for his transformative contribution of making apple farming possible and profitable in areas where it was previously considered unviable.
The award recognises the power of grassroot innovations in addressing national challenges and aligning livelihoods with sustainable development goals.
Hariman Sharma, who was orphaned in his childhood, pursued his passion for farming after passing matric examination. His journey from a tiny hamlet in Paniala village in Bilaspur to the great halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan is truly inspiring.
While the big media has not taken up the democratisation of apple cultivation seriously, social media is celebrating it with propaganda and online sales of a whole lot of tropical apple varieties.
