Growth in agri sector sees downward trend in state

DHARAMSALA: Lack of irrigation facilities is hampering agriculture growth in the state. Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University (CSKAU), Palampur, AK Sarial, while talking to The Tribune, said as per the latest data, Himachal was witnessing a negative growth of 5 per cent in the agriculture sector.

The state produces 16.5 lakh tonne of foodgrain and 17 lakh tonne of vegetables per annum.

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 2

Lack of irrigation facilities is hampering agriculture growth in the state.

Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University (CSKAU), Palampur, AK Sarial, while talking to The Tribune, said as per the latest data, Himachal was witnessing a negative growth of 5 per cent in the agriculture sector. However, the government was still spending Rs 600 crore per annum on the salary of staff of the Agriculture Department and providing other facilities to farmers.

The VC said 81 per cent area under agriculture in the state was rainfed. “The state produces 16.5 lakh tonne of foodgrain per annum and 17 lakh tonne of vegetables. At 200 tonne per hectare, the state has the highest vegetable production in the country. In irrigated areas, the foodgrain production is up to 40 quintal per hectare while in non-irrigated areas it ranges between 10 and 15 quintal per hectare. Since no irrigation facility is available in 81 per cent area under agriculture, the state has failed to achieve a desired 4 per growth in agriculture production per annum,” the VC said.

He said the government had earmarked a budget of Rs 6,000 crore to launch new irrigation schemes and repair the old ones.

The VC said if irrigation facilities were improved, there could be a multifold increase in agriculture production in the state, he said.

Sarial, who recently attended the meeting of the Asia Pacific Association for Agriculture Research in Taiwan said the university was contemplating a project to improve vegetable production in the state by developing new varieties using the germ plasm available at the World Vegetable Centre in Taiwan.

The VC said the state would have to look for innovative methods for irrigation in view of the fact that even traditional methods were facing threat in view of climatic change.

Traditional irrigation systems in the state were dependent on streams running from snowbound mountain ranges. However, the data reveals that glaciers in the state were receding and mountains were receiving lesser snow, he said.

Sarial said the state government should stress on rainwater harvesting, for which the university had also developed some cost-effective methods.