• Hariman Sharma, a farmer from Himachal Pradesh, will be conferred with Padma Shri for his transformative contribution to Indian agriculture, the government has announced. 

• Sharma, popularly known as the ‘Apple Man of India’, revolutionised apple cultivation by developing a variety that can be cultivated under warmer conditions in the lower hills.

How he revolutionised apple cultivation landscape in India?

• It was earlier believed that apples could only be grown in the mid and the higher hills under cold conditions. Sharma’s innovation, however, busted that myth.

• He developed an innovative, self-pollinating, low chilling apple variety called HRMN-99, that has revolutionised the apple cultivation landscape in the country and brought a juicy nutritive variety more within reach in terms of geography and affordability.  

• Unlike commercial apple varieties that require temperate climates and extended chilling hours, HRMN-99 thrives in tropical, sub-tropical, and plain regions with summer temperatures reaching 40-45°C, enabling apple farming in areas where it was previously considered unviable.

• The story of the HRMN-99 apple variety began in 1998 when Sharma planted a few seeds from discarded apples used for household consumption in his backyard. 

• Remarkably, one of these seeds sprouted the following year, and by 2001, the plant bore fruit despite the warm climate of Paniala in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, situated at an elevation of 1,800 feet. 

• Realising its potential, he carefully tended to the mother plant and propagated it through grafting, eventually establishing a flourishing apple orchard.

• Over the following decade, he focused on expanding his orchards by experimenting with various scions, grafting techniques and refining his innovative apple variety. Despite his efforts to share this breakthrough with regions having similar climatic conditions, his work initially garnered limited attention from both the farming and scientific communities.

• In 2012, the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), scouted this innovation. NIF verified the distinctness of the variety and supported its validation by facilitating molecular studies, fruit quality testing, and multi-location trials in collaboration with ICAR institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), agricultural universities, state agriculture departments, farmers and volunteers spread across the country.

• Through these collaborative efforts, the variety has expanded to 29 states and UTs. NIF also facilitated the registration of the variety at the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, New Delhi.

• The HRMN-99 variety, characterised by its striped red-over-yellow skin, soft and juicy pulp, and ability to produce up to 75 kg of fruit per plant annually, has empowered thousands of farmers across India.

• Sharma’s exceptional innovation has not only transformed apple cultivation in India but has also inspired innumerable farmers with additional income and better nutritional access.

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