Hariman Sharma: Padma Shree award for farmer who brought apples to plains

New Delhi: Hariman Sharma, a farmer and agricultural scientist from Himachal Pradesh, has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Shree Award for his groundbreaking work in apple cultivation. His innovation has allowed apple orchards to flourish in lower-altitude regions, previously thought unsuitable for the fruit.

Sharma’s breakthrough came in 2005 when he developed a new apple variety, HRMN 99, capable of thriving in warmer climates and lower altitudes (700 meters above sea level) with temperatures reaching 40-46 degrees Celsius. This challenged the conventional wisdom that apples require cold, mountainous regions.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Shimla validated Sharma’s achievement, confirming the success of HRMN 99. He has since distributed over 700,000 saplings across 29 Indian states, transforming apple cultivation in unexpected locations like Bengaluru, Gurugram and even Rashtrapati Bhavan. The variety is also gaining international recognition, with successful cultivation in countries like Germany, Nepal, and South Africa.

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The areas which started the cultivation of HRMN 99 apples include Haldwani and Kotbagh (Uttarakhand),
Imphal (Manipur), Chikmagalur, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, Sihor, Bailgram (Karnataka), Sikkim, West Bengal, Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), Karnal, Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Solapur, Nashik, Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Haldwani and Kotbagh (Uttarakhand), Nawada (Bihar), Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Sirsa, Sikar (Rajasthan), Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Narsinghpur, Silvassa (Dadra and Nagar Haveli), Amravati (Maharashtra), Kerala, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, Nine districts in Jammu.

Sharma’s contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including the District-Level Best Horticulturist Award, the State-Level Excellent Farmer Award, and the Outstanding Traditional Knowledge Award presented by former President Pranab Mukherjee. He continues to promote horticulture, training and encouraging young people to join the field. He has also expanded his horticultural endeavours to include chiku and coffee cultivation.