Horticulture Dept to distribute 60K fruit plants in Kangra dist

In a major push to promote horticulture in the region, the Horticulture Department will distribute 60,000 fruit plants among farmers across Kangra district during the ongoing monsoon season.

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The Deputy Director of the department, Surendra Rana, said the allocation of plants to various blocks was already underway. The initiative includes a wide variety of fruit-bearing species such as mango, litchi, guava, amla, lemon, jackfruit, papaya, jamun and fig, all cultivated at department-run nurseries located across the district.

“The distribution will be carried out based on demand, and our teams are ensuring timely delivery to every block,” Rana said. He added that the department continued to provide high-quality saplings at rates lower than market prices to encourage widespread adoption.

Rana highlighted that citrus fruits were in particularly high demand this year. “We are distributing at least 23,320 citrus plants, along with 2,450 mango, 1,000 litchi and thousands of guava, amla, papaya, pomegranate, jackfruit and other fruit plants,” he said.

On the status of apple cultivation, Rana said apples — both spur and standard varieties — were currently being grown on 563 hectares of land in Kangra district. However, it has not performed well in lower altitude areas due to sudden climatic fluctuations and damage caused by monkeys and pests.

He added that Kangra’s diverse topography and varying altitudes, combined with its fertile, deep and well-drained soils, made it suitable for the cultivation of both temperate and subtropical fruit varieties.