Farmers in the high-altitude orchards are a shattered lot as more than 40 per cent of the fruit has dropped in the apple belt in the last leg of the season.

This correspondent found it difficult to walk in the apple orchards as it was almost littered with rotting or freshly dropped apples, presenting a harrowing site.

The visit to the orchards in Shilgran (Shantha), Maroag in Chopal, Ratnadi