Shimla, May 5 (IANS) An unusually hot April has hit strawberry cultivation in the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh and growers are worried that the fruit yield this year may plummet 50-60 percent from last year.

The state horticulture department estimates that the total yield would be around 200 tonnes as against 447 tonnes last fiscal. The output was 480 tonnes in 2007-08.

At the start of the strawberry season (March-May), the prospects were good. But the unusual high temperature last month (April) has severely hit the crop. 'As per our estimates, the total yield would be 50-60 percent less than last year,' Horticulture Director Gurdev Singh told IANS.

'The temperature in April in strawberry-growing areas, particularly in Sirmaur district, soared to the level that is generally prevalent in May. The extreme hot climatic conditions thus hit the fruit setting,' added Deputy Director V.K. Sharma.

Strawberry is mainly grown in temperate areas of Sirmaur district, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the total yield in the state. At least 100 farmers in Sirmaur are growing strawberries in 60 hectares. The fruit is also grown in Kullu, Una and Kangra districts.

The meteorological office in Shimla said the average maximum temperature in April was two to four degrees Celsius above normal in the entire state.

'It was three degrees Celsius above the average in Sirmaur district during last month,' said Manmohan Singh, director of the met office.

'The district also saw scanty rainfall in April. It experienced just 4.4 mm of rain against the normal of 17.3 mm. This means there was rain deficiency of 75 percent,' he added.

Sanjay Aggarwal, a strawberry grower near Paonta Sahib town, the heart of the activity in Sirmaur district, said: 'More than 60 percent of the total crop was hit due to the unusually high temperature. The juice content in the crop which has survived is also less'.

The strawberries grown in the state are mostly procured by fruit processing units. The farmers prefer to sell it directly in the Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi markets.

'Strawberry cultivation is getting popular as it gives faster returns than other fruits,' Sharma said.

Strawberries are fetching a price of Rs.60-80 per kg in the wholesale market these days, he added.

Himachal Pradesh's fruit industry is worth Rs.2,000 crore, with apple alone accounting for Rs.1,500 crore.

The cool climes of the state are also suitable for fruits like pears, cherries, plums, grapes, mulberry, peaches, apricots, walnuts and almonds.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)