In Himachal Pradesh, an acute shortage of apple trays and cartons has added to the woes of growers who have been facing unending problems in transportation of produce due to bad roads and non-availability of trucks. Respite from incessant rains over the past one week has allowed the growers to harvest the crop. However, they are unable to send the produce to the market as trays and cartons are not available. With state-agencies like the HPMC and HIMFED having failed to make adequate arrangements for the supply of packaging material for the bumper season, the growers are virtually left at the mercy of traders who are exploiting the situation to the hilt. Automatic apple trays are being supplied at Rs 8 to Rs 10 per piece as against the normal rate of Rs 4.50 per tray. Sun-dried trays, which are normally available for Rs 2.50 to Rs 3 each, are also being sold at more than double the rate. Cartons, which were available for Rs 33 at the start of the season, are now being supplied for Rs 42 or even more. So far, 4 lakh tonnes of apple have reached the market and every day about 1,200 trucks are being sent out from the state. Besides, 18,000 tonnes of apple have been procured under the market intervention scheme (MIS). Shortage of trucks forced the authorities to deploy vehicles available with various government departments for transportation of fruit procured under the MIS, some of which had started rotting. Still, more than one crore boxes are yet to be transported out and trucks and packaging material are needed urgently. The returns have been poor, particularly in the past fortnight, as the market, which hit rock-bottom last week, has not recovered due to continuing heavy arrival.