Birth of Kullu’s Fruit Industry

The first apple orchard of Himachal, or for that matter Punjab, was planted at Bandrole (Kullu) in 1870.

In 1846, following the Treaty of Lahore, the British East India Company acquired Kulu from the Sikhs, who had themselves just taken control of the region in 1840. This picturesque valley soon became a favored destination for the British—ranging from posted officers and intrepid explorers to avid hunters in search of game. The enchanting allure of Kulu was such that many chose to make it their permanent home upon retirement, drawn by its serene beauty and tranquil surroundings.

When the British arrived, they introduced various European fruits and vegetables to the region. Resident officers and settlers were the pioneers in cultivating these crops in Kulu, initially to meet their own consumption needs. Adding to the fruits that already grew here—such as apricot, peach, walnut, quince, wild fig, apple, pear, raspberry, hill plum, wild cherry, wild vine, wild apple, lime, citron, and many wild fruits—they brought European varieties of apple, pear, apricot, plum, cherry, grape, currant, pomegranate, and strawberry. The indigenous varieties were used as stock for the newer cultivars.

Among the vegetables, potatoes, pumpkins, beans, a kind of lettuce, and cucumbers already grew in abundance. With the advent of the British, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, French beans, peas, asparagus, lettuce, and carrots were also introduced and cultivated in the region.

According to Colonel Harcourt, Assistant Commissioner of Kulu from 1869 to 1871, the quality of the produce grown in the region was equal to the best samples found in England’s markets.

“…almost every article fit for human food grows to perfection in this country, so bountifully endowed by nature; and it would seem as if Kooloo well deserved the appellation of the Garden of India, so rich is it in all the products that gratify either sight or taste.”

(Harcourt, 1872)

The British also cultivated tea in the region, making it the first cash crop they introduced and grew.

In the 1850s, the British planted the first tea garden in Nagar. By 1861-62, the Kooloo Valley Tea Company, also known as the Kulu Tea Company, was established. The company had tea gardens in Bajaura, Raison, Nagar, Shamshi, and Ghurdaur. Remarkably, KTC’s tea won first prize for ‘the best black tea of India’ at the Lahore Exhibition of 1863.

However, unsuitable agro-climatic conditions for tea, coupled with the lack of transportation, proved unprofitable for the business. As a result, the gardeners shifted their attention to cultivating fruits. Despite these challenges, a small tea industry managed to survive until the 1930s.

Returning to fruits, the pioneer of pomiculture in Kullu was a retired British Army captain, R. C. Lee, who settled in Bandrole around 1860. In 1870, he planted the first commercial fruit garden in Kullu, cultivating apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees. He sourced the strains from his father’s estate in England. In the 1870s, another outsider, Mr. Theodore, also contributed to the region’s fruit cultivation by planting apple trees at Dobhi.

A few years later, around 1875, a friend of Lee’s, Captain Banon, purchased land in Duff Dunbar (Manali) and established his own orchard around 1880, known as the Manali Orchards.

The orchards of Lee, Theodore, and Banon flourished, and their success acted as a catalyst, inspiring their neighbors and fellow Englishmen to take up fruit gardening. Among those who followed in their footsteps were Messrs. Miniken, Rennick, Donald, and Mackay.

The first orchards in Kullu were planted at:

• Bandrole by Captain R. C. Lee of Bandrole Estate.
• Duff Dunbar (Manali) by Captain A. T. Banon of Manali Estate
• Aramgarh (Raison) by H. J. Miniken of Aramgarh Estate

Miniken was the manager of ‘Kulu Tea Company’. After its dissolution (1880), he bought half of the company’s estates, later becoming the sole commercial producer of tea in Kullu.

• Bajaura by Colonel R. H. F. Rennick of Garh Estate

Rennick had bought the other half of KTC’s estates. He was one of the biggest landowners of Kullu in his time.

• Dobhi by Theodore and William ‘Willie’ Donald of Dobhi Estate

Dobhi Estate originally belonged to Mr. Theodore, who had left it to Donald’s sister in his will (1883). Around 1885, Donald came here to manage Rennick’s Garh Estate and his sister gave the estate to him. Donald managed both the Dobhi Estate (his own) and Garh Estate (Rennick’s).

• Duff Dunbar (Manali) by J. S. Mackay of Dunbar House Estate

Dunbar House was built, early 1870s, by Duff Dunbar (Deputy Forest Officer of Kullu in the 1850s and 60s); he had gifted it to the Mackays when he went back to Scotland around 1875-76.

• Aani by Reverend Marcus Carleton of the American Presbyterian Mission

Rev. Carleton (1825-1898) planted the orchard in the 1880s. A small jam & marmalade factory was functioning here around 1907 and their products were popular among the British families of Shimla.

• Banjar (Tesildar’s garden), in the late 1880s

In the early days, the favored varieties of apples included Pippins (French), Dempster’s Pippin, Cox’s Orange Pippin (both English), Newtown Pippin (American), and Russet apples. For pears, the preferred varieties were Marie Louise, Seckel, and Williams (Bartlett).

The growers continually sought to improve their orchards by experimenting with cuttings from each other’s gardens as well as with strains from England and America. Alan H. Lee, the son of Captain Lee, introduced persimmons (known as Japani by locals) and other varieties of plum, peach, and apple from Japan and various countries. The sub-temperate climate and fertile soil of Kullu proved conducive to growing a wide range of fruits and vegetables familiar to them from England.

Initially, the settlers grew enough fruits and vegetables for their own consumption, selling any surplus in the local market or to the Lahoulis. By the mid-1880s, however, they began to export fruits, both fresh and dried, leading to the emergence of the Kullu Fruit Industry. At that time, Shimla, located 225 kilometers away, was the nearest and most accessible market for their produce.

The fruits were transported to Shimla by mules and relays of coolies via the Jalori–Luhri–Narkanda–Shimla route, but this method proved unprofitable for the gardeners. Mr. Banon of Manali then suggested a more cost-effective alternative: parcel post. At that time, the postage rate was 2 annas per pound (approximately ₹1 per 3.6 kilograms).

The fruit parcels were transported by a relay system of harkaras, or mail-runners, to Palampur via Bhubhu Pass. From there, they were carried by dak-tonga (horse-drawn carriage) to Shimla via Pathankot. After the Shimla Railway began operation in 1903, the fruits were transported from Pathankot to Shimla by rail, significantly improving the efficiency of the distribution process.

Parcel post proved to be a great success, leading to a thriving fruit industry in Kullu. During peak fruit season, up to 200 harkaras were employed at each stage of the 90-mile (approximately 145 kilometers) postal route to Palampur, completing the journey in under 24 hours. Each harkara carried fruit parcels weighing a total of 40 pounds (5 parcels of 8 pounds each), resulting in roughly 3.6 metric tonnes of fruit being sent to Shimla daily at the height of the season. By 1910, Rennick’s orchards alone were exporting over 17,000 fruit parcels, totaling approximately 62 metric tonnes annually, with at least five other estates also involved in the fruit business at that time.

Kullu fruits, particularly apples and pears, were in high demand at major British stations in India. The apples and pears from Kullu earned significant recognition, winning numerous first prizes at fruit shows and exhibitions during that era.

However, due to surplus produce, inadequate transportation, and the distant markets, a significant portion of the produce went to waste each year. This was especially true for vegetables and soft fruits, which could not withstand the several days’ journey to Shimla or beyond.

A. H. Diack (Settlement Officer, 1887-91) said in the Kangra Gazetteer (1897):

“… At present a great part of the yield of apples and pears remains unsold on account of unfitness to bear a journey of many days’ duration, and for the same reason there is no market for vegetables or for the more perishable fruits–peaches, plums, apricots and cherries–which are produced in Kulu of a quality scarcely surpassed over in England…”

Opening of Larji-Mandi gorge road (1927) and the Kangra Valley Railway (1929) improved the situation somewhat. But then again, the rain and floods frequently halted the road transportation.

G. D. Khosla, in his 1956 book, thus wrote about the conundrum:

“The Mandi-Pathankot route is long and commercially unprofitable for the transport of goods. The portion of the road between Mandi and Out is frequently closed by landslides during the monsoons, so in the months of July and August when fruit is ripe and ready for export, there is often no means of sending it out. Every year about a third of the total fruit crop of the valley rots and goes waste in this manner.”

The British also imparted gardening techniques, such as grafting and budding, to some of the locals, encouraging them to grow fruits and teach others. However, it wasn’t until the late 1920s that native growers began producing fruits on a commercial scale. Until then, the fruit industry was dominated by British gardeners.

Padha Bansi Lal Vatsyayen was the first local to establish an orchard at Seu-Bag (literally “garden of apple”). He was followed by Basant Mal Salhuria, also known as Basant Mal Sood, who started his orchard at Haripur in the early 1930s.

Over time, new varieties of apples, pears, and other fruits were introduced, including Red and Royal Delicious apples, Bartlett pears, Santa Rosa plums, Elberta peaches, and New Castle apricots. These varieties became and continue to be favorites for commercial production.

By the time India gained independence, most of the settlers in Kullu had sold their properties and returned to England. The Minnikens sold their entire estate to a local named Durga Dass around 1945-46. However, a few settlers, including the Johnsons, Banons, and Donalds, chose to stay. Of these, the Donald family, which was represented by two sisters, eventually returned to England in 1952.

Today, descendants of only one of the early orchardists, the Banons of Manali, still reside in Kullu. They continue to cultivate fruits in their inherited orchards and have also established a successful tourism business. Their ancestral villas have been transformed into heritage hotels, which are quite popular among English tourists.

Sources

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