Hamirpur set to be fruit bowl of Himachal Pradesh

Hamirpur, March 1

The district is set to turn into the fruit bowl of the state as over 30,000 plants have been planted here.

The Department of Horticulture, under the HP Shiva Project, has planted 30,121 saplings of guava, litchi, sweet orange, lemon and pomegranate.

The department has identified Bhaleu and Kehdru villages for the first phase of the project and will bring 900 hectares under plantation.

Dr RL Sandhu, Deputy Director, Horticulture, says that in 54 clusters, farmers have been given high quality plants of various varieties and the plants have now attained the age of fruition. Over 21,000 plants of guava have been planted in Bhaleu village, while 8,892 plants of orange have been planted in Kehdaru village in the district.

The climate in the area is favourable for fruit orchards, he adds.

He says that besides providing quality plantation material, the department is providing facilities for protection and processing like solar fencing and establishing processing units. —