Himachal set to enlarge scope of fruit economy

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh is launching a new initiative aimed at expanding its fruit economy, positioning it as a key driver of the state’s growth and job creation.

Rolling-out its new initiatives for producing premium quality fruits, the state government proposes to bring more areas under horticulture so that Himachal Pradesh is able to position itself as a leader in the innovative horticulture practices.

Even as the apple continue to dominate the fruit production and horticulture marketing, the government is giving emphasis on diversification to new fruit varieties as state’s climate suits the cultivation of high value fruits like persimmons, mango, litchi, citrus, pomegranate, low chilling varieties of peach, plum and pear, strawberry, dragon fruit, blueberry and avocado.

The state has gained global recognition for its sustainable and progressive approach.

At present approximately 2.36 lakh hectares of land in the state is dedicated to horticulture in a sector which is yielding a fruit production of 6.38 lakh metric tonnes and contributing around Rs. 4,476 crore to the annual income of the state.

The sector has also become a key employment generator directly or indirectly supporting around 10 lakh individuals.

Over the past two years, the government has introduced various successful programmes that have boosted fruit production and strengthened the economy of the horticulture sector. Some of the notable achievements include the production of 25,829 metric tonnes of mushrooms, 4,081 metric tonnes of honey and the cultivation of 659 hectares of flowers.

These endeavours not only enrich the local economy but also allow the farmers of the state to tap into new markets and revenue streams further stabilising income.

Expanding horticulture coverage remains a top priority and 8,085 additional hectares are brought under fruit cultivation.

Through extensive efforts in nurseries, the government produced 25.12 lakh fruit plants and distributed over 27.64 lakh plants to horticulturists. These efforts have strengthened the sector by increasing both quality and output which was proving a boon for orchardists seeking to modernise their practices.

One of the standout achievements of the government lies in pest and disease control measures.

By providing a subsidy of Rs. 13.64 crore on plant protection medicines, a total

of 288.55 MT/kg of such materials were made available to fruit growers.

Apart from these 1,195 hectares of horticultural land was now getting benefitted from biological

pest control and about 542 horticulturists were trained in these methods.