Rs1,143-cr horticulture project gets WB nod

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 29

If all goes as targeted, farmers will get the root-stock based certified plant material and controlled atmospheric stores (CAS) to double their productivity under the ambitious Rs 1,143 crore horticulture modernization project. The state government is about to sign a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Central government and World Bank which recently gave its nod to fund the project.

“The World Bank has given its final nod for the project and the state government is on course to sign an agreement with the Centre and the World Bank”, said Jagdish C Sharma, Principal Secretary, Horticulture.

The project seeks to modernize the sagging horticultural industry, particularly that of apple, he added.

The Horticulture Department is putting in place a 22-point high-end strategy to revamp sick horticulture industry. As many as 14 per cent of fruit plants in the state are as good as dead and the project aims at replacing these with the high-yielding root-stock plants.

“We will set up the root-stock based nurseries to give certified plant materials to farmers, have CAS stores and will promote horticulture in Sirmaur, Chamba, parts of Solan, Shimla areas and other districts under the project”, said Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes. The project seeks to cultivate and develop high-yielding root stock fruit varieties, set up cold chains and one-stop shops for fruit and agricultural crops, work towards automation of government agencies like the HPMC, the APMC, the HPAIC and farmers’ call centres. The World Bank has agreed to fund Rs 900 crore for the project, said the officials.

The-first-of-its-kind project seeks to revamp not only the Rs 3,500 crore apple industry, but it also intends to diversify the entire vegetable and horticultural crops like hazel nuts and olive to new districts of the state. The projects will benefit 25,000 families in the backward regions of Sirmaur and Chamba district, said the project officials.

The project focuses on production, marketing and post-harvest management practices of horticultural crops in the state. It aims at increasing productivity by planting root-stocks from the present dismal 5-8 tonne per hectare to at least 20-25 tonnes or more, sourced said.

“We have sought to set up modern plant nurseries in the state, upgrade marketing yards and provide certified plant materials to farmers under the project involving the Horticultural Department, the HPMC and Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, etc”, said Prakash Thakur, vice-chairman, HPMC.

The project seeks to enhance rain harvesting, set up sprinklers, drip irrigation, undertake pond lining and have storage tanks for irrigation as horticulture crops depend on rain and snow, added Jagdish C Sharma.

Revamping ailing industry

• State to sign a tripartite agreement with the Centre and World Bank
• The Horticulture Department is putting in place a 22-point high-end strategy to revamp the sick horticulture industry
• Among other things, the projects seeks to cultivate and develop new high-yielding root stock fruit varieties, set up cold chains and one-stop shops for fruit and agricultural crops
• The project aims to replace ‘dead’ fruit plants with the high-yielding root-stock plants and increase productivity by planting root-stocks from present dismal 5-8 tonnes per hectare to at least 20-25 tonnes
• The-first-of-its-kind project seeks to revamp not only the Rs 3,500 crore apple industry, but it also intends to diversify the entire vegetable and horticultural crops like hazel nuts and olive to new districts