Himachal Govt to seek 1-year extension of World Bank-aided horticulture project

Subhash Rajta

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Shimla, December 20

The state government will apply for a one-year extension of the World Bank (WB)-aided Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project (HPHDP) in January. The project is ending in June 2023 but the state is yet to use around 30 per cent of its total Rs 1,066 crore budget. “A World Bank team is coming on December 22 to review the project. Once the review is done, we will apply for the extension of the project by one year,” said Sudesh Mokhta, Project Director, HPHDP, here today. “We are hopeful that we will get a one-year extension to complete the project,” he added.

Around 70 per cent of the budget, one of the main requirements for getting extension, has already been utilised for the project. “We have managed to spend around Rs 745 crore, which is about 70 per cent of the total budget of the project,” said Mokhta.

In mid-June, when the World Bank team had come for the review of the project, only Rs 564 crore had been spent (nearly 53 per cent of the total budget). The project officials were told in a meeting to exhaust at least 70 per cent of the budget before applying for extension.

The major objective of the project is to support small farmers and agro entrepreneurs to increase the productivity, quality and market access of select horticulture commodities, mainly apple, in the state.

The objective was to be achieved mainly through enhancing the availability and adoption of elite planting materials and horticulture technology transfer, upgrade and modernization of markets and supply chain infrastructure support, etc.

Mokhta said, “We have imported around 30 lakh rootstocks and grafted plants of apple and stone fruits so far, APMC markets have been upgraded, and cold chain and processing facilities are being built and upgraded under the project.” He added, “There are areas where the project has not done as well as we would have liked but all its benefits will be visible two years after its completion.”