In India the cultivation of temperate fruit crops like apples is restricted to hilly regions of India including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttaranchal. Himachal Pradesh is recognised for its sub-temperate agroclimate where farmers can growthe world's finest and choicest varieties of fruit. Apple cultivation in the State was started by Captain R C Lee in the 19th Century in Kullu Tehsil. Apples are a cross-pollinated temperate crop critically dependent on the honey bee colonies placed inthe orchards for optimal pollination and fruit production. Beekeeping was introduced in 1934 to the Kullu Valley and in 1936 in the Kangra Valley. Indigenous Apis cerana, the Indian honey bee, was utilised in the State until 1961, when Apis mellifera wasintroduced from Italy to the Bee Research Station Nagrota in Kangra. The Horticulture Department now helps the States' beekeepers through several schemes and subsidies to aid economic growth, improve livelihoods and generate employment opportunities inrural areas.
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