How Tomato is Changing the Fortunes of Farmers in Himachal Pradesh?

One of the most important off-season cash crops in Himachal Pradesh's lower and middle hills is the tomato. 86% of the state's total production is harvested in the districts of Solan, Sirmaur, and Kullu.

When the crop is not being harvested in the plains of north India during the monsoon, off-season tomato cultivation surges in the hills. The state already produces 320,700 tonnes of tomatoes yearly, and it wants to produce 498,000 tonnes more.

According to Agriculture Minister Virender Kanwar, off-season tomato farming is the primary source of income for some farmers. Solan district contains over 46% of the state's total plantations, with more than 90% of the produce travelling to markets in neighbouring states, mostly Delhi.

Sirmaur (30%) and Kullu (10%) are the other tomato-growing regions; Shimla, Mandi, and Bilaspur districts account for the remainder.

While some farmers ship their produce directly to Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in other states, most farmers prefer to sell their produce through local agriculture produce market committees.

A group of Salogra farmers has connections with online retailers like BigBasket. Sell tomato products on an online marketplace.

Tomato cultivation currently is done by 22,753 farmers, many of whom have modest landholdings, and generates annual revenue of Rs 203 crore. According to Kanwar, polyhouses are also utilised to grow vegetables out of season.

In Palampur, the CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University has created high-yielding tomato varieties that are resistant to disease. They are Him Pragati, Him Palam, Cherry Yellow, Palam Pink, Palam Pride, and Palam Tomato Hybrid 1.

The institution frequently hosts capacity building programmes for over 25,000 farmers in order to encourage its cultivation.

According to the Minister, the government is also pushing rainwater collection and expanding irrigation infrastructure.

The Agriculture Department has developed a plan for the introduction of high-yielding vegetable hybrids, popularisation of a microirrigation method, and protected cultivation in order to systematically diversify crops. Natural and organic farming are also being encouraged statewide to increase quality.

Under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, which also encourages the cultivation of tomato crops, farmers are given a 50% subsidy to help them switch from growing cereal crops to vegetables.