The historic election of India’s new prime minister has given apple growers hope their ailing industry will get the support it so desperately needs.

Some apple farmers from the fruit-growing state of Himachal Pradesh believe the newly-elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, Narendra Modi, will prioritize his work in the area because it is so reliant on agriculture, especially apple sales.

On top of this, Modi is widely regarded as being pro-business with his party’s pre-election pledges focusing on driving the country’s economy, strengthening diplomatic relationships with foreign nations in terms of trade and generally pushing sweeping economic reforms.

However, Modi has previously promised to work toward banning apple imports so homegrown varieties can flourish, while investing in key infrastructure such as packing facilities and transportation.

In a key pre-election speech in Himachal Pradesh earlier this year, Modi asked apple farmers what policies had been enforced to help them get a fair price for their fruit. He also posed the question, 'Why must apples be imported from foreign countries?'

This led many growers to vote in the Hindu nationalist who became prime minister last month in a landslide victory over the mass rule of the prominent Indian political dynasty Nehru-Gandhi, which had governed the country for decades following independence from the British Empire.

One source at the state’s ministry of agriculture told www.freshfruitportal.com that many farmers and apple orchard owners have put their faith in Modi and believe he will ban apple imports.

"For years India has been competing and losing out against apples being brought in from overseas. We cannot seem to compete against these imports because our varieties are not as good. There is an air of change now," he said.

He also explained how Indian consumers, especially the rising middle classes, are putting much more value on branded varieties sold in major supermarkets as opposed to locally-grown fruit sold at cut-price in mandis, Indian markets.

Anil Bisht runs Neelkanth Apple Orchards in the upper Himalayan Belt of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, and has high hopes for the Modi government and the strengthening of the apple industry.

"The current scenario in Himachal is that the production of apples is increasing but the average output is lagging behind other countries," he told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"The focus of quality production is limited and the fruit is unable to compete with the imported quality. The packaging stores and transportation are in bad shape which results in a loss for farmers.

"The recent change of government has given the people hope that something will be done to help farmers."

www.freshfruitportal.com