HP Launches ‘Trees for Wealth’ to Promote Horticulture in the State

Himachal Pradesh has started an ambitious scheme called "Trees for Wealth" to plant fruit trees in the arid region in the Shivalik range in Una District to increase the amount of space available for horticulture production.

According to rural development minister Virender Kanwar, the initiative under the Himachal Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value Addition Project (HPSHIVA) intends to transform the Shivalik region into a "fruit hub" in the style of Himachal Pradesh's high hills.

About 233 hectares of wasteland in 17-gram panchayats will be turned into arable land by spending 500 crores. Additionally, this would enable farmers to double their income and cultivate horticulture on wasteland.

In the first stage, 11,913 high-yielding fruit seedlings of the guava, pomegranate, and malta have been planted on bare ground owned by 81 farmers in nine front-line demonstration plots that have been spread out on 9-hectare areas.

According to Kanwar, the farmers would receive training from HP SHIVA on how to produce and market their horticulture commodities through value addition. Drip irrigation, solar water pumps, Scada, and an instrument cluster tank, according to him, will cost Rs 77 crores.

To fulfill the program's irrigation requirements, the Jal Shakti Department will implement five new irrigation schemes in the region and upgrade two already-existing ones. In the Shivalik area, 1,200 farmers rely on horticulture for their living and make an estimated 1 crore each year.

The new project aspires to help 490 families from 90 communities that have tiny land holdings. In order to boost the development of the horticulture industry in the area, approximately 5,555 fruit trees will be planted in the project's target area during the current fiscal year.

The minister claimed that plans were being made for the construction of infrastructures such as packing, sorting, and grading facilities, CA stores, and processing facilities in order to add value.