Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, June 17
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday refuted claims circulating on social media that it had imposed a ban on selling apples directly from orchards, a move that had sparked unease among fruit growers across the state. Naresh Chauhan, Principal Media Advisor to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, dismissed the reports as “misleading”, clarifying that no such directive had been issued. “Orchardists are absolutely free to sell their apples wherever they wish, whether in markets or directly from their orchards,” Chauhan said in a statement.
The clarification came after viral social media posts alleged a state-imposed restriction on the direct sale of apples, fuelling concerns about market accessibility and pricing among Himachal’s apple-growing community—a vital part of the hill economy.
Chauhan urged farmers and traders not to be misled by unverified information and stressed that the administration had no intention of interfering with the growers’ right to sell their produce.
The state government, he added, remains committed to supporting the horticulture sector and ensuring fair trade practices amid the crucial harvest season.
