In a bid to promote apple cultivation, five members committee has been appointed by the State Horticulture department on Thursday.
They have been assigned to visit Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir on a study tour and submit their report to the State about how State can promote high quality apple cultivation within the State and how youth can be added in this cultivation.
During the meeting, Horticulture Minister Harak Singh Rawat said to protect farmers from mediator, who work as a bridge between traders and farmers, there is a need to do marketing of their agriculture produce including vegetables and fruits. He also gave necessary instructions to the official about how department can bring laurel to the State by promoting high quality apple cultivation. He also instructed them to provide packaging material to the apple farmers on priority basis and also disburse 50 per cent grant to them as soon as possible.
During the meeting, it was disclosed that horticulture department is nurturing fruit but selling at similar price for the last four years, so a committee was constituted to recommend for new price.They will review the price on yearly basis. To promote fruit cultivation, department has been given a target to nurture 25 lakh fruit in a year. Even district administrations were asked to plant fruit in barren land in their jurisdiction as part of special campaign.
To renovate the old orchard, the Government has decided to give `5,000 per hectare as assistance to the orchard owner. In which `3,000 per hectare will be given by Union Government and `2,000 per hectare by the State Government. “In this current financial year we have decided to renovate 500 hectare orchard and made `80 lakh budget provision in supplementary budget. To promote tea cultivation State Government is spending `11 crore per annum. Even our tea has been acclaimed at national market because of quality,” said Rawat.
The State Government is also working on how to promote quality of tea cultivation. For this publicity is required. Besides it, Minister also reviewed the performance herbal research institute functioning. In which minister was informed that the institution has started research work and will creat job opportunity within the State.
During meeting Principal Secretary Horticulture Dr Ranbir Singh, Secretary Horticulture Devendra Paliwal, Additional secretary Horticulture RC Sharma, Director Horticulture Dr IA Khan, Director Tea control board KR Joshi, Director HRDI Hayat Ram Arya and Apple producer DP Uniyal and other officials were present.