The Apple Valley of Himachal is in jitters over the impending kiss of the dragon. Come September next year, the Chinese apple would be invading the valley in what, local apple growers say, will be the death knell for the local apple industry already reeling under a receding snowline, wrinkled roots and firang onslaught.
Already, deep into the heart of the Apple Valley, the only apples one can lay eyes on are the ones coming from Australia and New Zealand. The Kinnauri apple, or for that matter apple from any other part of the State, never manages to climb down from the glass showcases of apple exhibitions. The only Indian crop on the shelf is the second grade apple from Kashmir, selling at a whopping Rs 80 a kg.