SHIMLA- Vegetable cultivation is fastly gaining popularity among farmers in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, which has become a ‘natural glass house’ for production of off-season vegetables in the region.
The state has a huge bio-diversity and its agro-climatic conditions are congenial for the production of off-season vegetables round the year.
A target of 11.55 lakh MT off seasonal vegetable production was fixed in 57,000 hectare area in the year 2009-10, while a target of 12.50 lakh metric tonnes off seasonal vegetable production was fixed in 60,000 hectare area in the year 2010-11 and a target of 13 lakh metric tonnes off seasonal vegetable production was fixed in 65,000 hectare area for the year 2011-12.
The targets of off-seasonal vegetable production and area were exceeded during all these years due to various incentives and policies started by the state government for promotion of off-seasonal vegetable crops in the state.
During the year 2009-10, a total 12, 06,242 MT off seasonal vegetable production was recorded in 63,879 hectare area. The total 12, 68,897 MT off seasonal vegetable production was recorded in 65075 hectare area in the state during the year 2010-11 recording an average around 19.5 MT off seasonal vegetable production was recorded in the state during the year 2010-11.
During the year 2011-12, total 13, 56,600 Metric tonnes off seasonal vegetable production was recorded in 67,968 hectare land recording an average 19.95 Metric tones production during this period.
The state government has fixed target for production of 15 lakh Metric tonnes off seasonal vegetable production in 70,000 hectare area by the end of the 12th five year plan which is likely to be exceeded as per the trend in production of off-seasonal vegetable.
Himachal Pradesh recorded 12, 06,242 MT off seasonal vegetable production in 63879 hectare land area in the year 2009-10 which increased to 12, 68,897 MT production in 65,075 hectare land area in the year 2010-11 and further increased to 1356600 MT production in 67968 hectare area in the year 2011-12. The per hectare production of off-seasonal vegetable has recorded increase in the period. The state recorded 18.88 MT per hectare production in the year 2009-10 which was increased to 19.49 MT per hectare production in the year 2010-11 which further increased to 19.95 MT per hectare production in the year 2011-12.
During the year 2011-12, total 13, 56,600 Metric tones off seasonal vegetable production was recorded in 67,968 hectare land. Solan, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmour, Kullu, Lahaul Spiti, Kinnaur and Kangra Districts are the main production centres of off seasonal vegetables in the state.
During the year 2011-12, Solan district recorded the highest production of 2, 44,433 Metric tones in 8,498 hectare land. Shimla District recorded the production of 2, 09,496 Metric tones in 11,986 hectare land and Mandi District recorded 1, 85,435 Metric tones productions in 9714 hectare area. The Sirmour District recorded 1,61,690 Metric tones productions in 7,369 hectare land, while the Kangra district recorded 153789 Metric tones productions in 7376 hectare land area.
The Solan district recorded highest 29 Metric tones per hectare production, while the Shimla district recorded 18 Metric tones production per hectare, and Mandi district recorded 19 Metric tones production per hectare during the year. Sirmour District recorded 22 Metric tones productions per hectare while the Kangra district recorded 21 Metric tones productions per hectare during the same period.
The three districts of Solan, Shimla and Mandi recorded total production of 6,39,364 Metric tones productions out of total recorded production of 13,56,600 which was about half of the total production of the state. A total 30198 hectare area was covered under off seasonal vegetable cultivation in the main three leading off seasonal vegetable producing district of Solan, Shimla and Mandi districts which was around 45 percent area of the total state covered under off seasonal vegetable.
Out of total vegetable production of 13,56,600 MT in the state during the year 2011-12, the cabbage, cauliflowers and cucurbits were three main off seasonal vegetables which recorded 1,41,087 MT, 91,640 MT, 62,169 MT productions.
The total 12,68,897 MT off-seasonal vegetable production was recorded in 65075 hectare area the state during the year 2010-11 out of which the 254177 MT peas, 388426 MT tomato and 1,44,233MT cabbage production was recorded during the same period in the state. The peas, tomato and cabbage total production was recorded at 7, 86,836 MTs which is around 62 percent of the total off seasonal vegetable productions in the state. Out of total 65,075 hectare area under the cultivation of off-seasonal vegetables in the state, Shimla, Solan, Mandi and Kangra accounted for 36,192 hectare area which is around 56 percent of the total area under off seasonal vegetable cultivation in the state.
During the year 2010-11, the off-seasonal vegetables were grown in 7,511 hectare area of tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti leading with off-seasonal vegetable cultivation in 4,128 hectare area, while 3,383 hectare area was cultivated under off seasonal vegetable in Kinnaur districts. Both tribal districts produced 93,566 MT vegetables during the period. The green peas were major off-seasonal vegetable in tribal districts of Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur and green peas were cultivated in 6,185 hectare area out of total 7,511 hectare area under the cultivation of off-seasonal vegetable production in both these tribal districts.
Out of total 93,566 MT off seasonal vegetable production in both these districts, the production of off-seasonal peas was recorded at 61,775 MTs, which is around 66 percent of the total off-seasonal vegetable productions in the tribal areas. At an average around 19.5 MT off-seasonal vegetable production was recorded in the state during the year 2010-11. The Solan district recorded highest 28 MT per hectare followed by Sirmour 22 MT, and Kangra 21 MT per hectare off seasonal vegetable production in the state.
During the year 2009-10, total 12, 06,242 MT off-seasonal vegetable production was recorded in 63,879 hectare area recording around 18.88 MT off seasonal vegetable production per hectare in the state. Out of it, 2, 37,276 MT of peas, 3, 83,824 MT of tomato and 144624 MT of cabbage production was recorded in the state.
Total 7, 65,724 MT of peas, tomato and cabbage production was recorded out of total 12,06,242 MT off-seasonal vegetable production which accounts for 73 percent of the total off-seasonal crop production in the state.
Out of total 85,337 MT, off-seasonal vegetable cultivation in tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti, peas accounted for 64370MT production which accounted for 75 percent of total off-seasonal vegetable production in the tribal districts. Solan district recorded the maximum 28 MT per hectare off-seasonal vegetable production followed by Sirmour 21.5 MT, and Kangra recorded 20 MT per hectare off-seasonal vegetable production during the period.
The three districts of Shimla, Solan and Mandi accounted for 27,875 hectare of area under off seasonal vegetable cultivation which comes out around 45 percent of the total cultivable area of the state.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has started “Mukhyamantri Adarsh Krishi Gaon Yojna” under which agriculture development plans will be prepared for 68 panchayats, one in each assembly constituency in the state on a pilot basis. Each selected panchayat will be provided Rs. 10 lakh as gap filling funds for creation and upgradation of agriculture infrastructure leading to increase in area under cultivation. Based on the results obtained, this scheme can be extended to other panchayats.
The state government is providing modern marketing facilities for ensuring the remunerative prices to the farming community. And at present, 10 agriculture produce marketing committees, 52 market yards, sub market yards are functioning in the state where vegetable growers can avail sorting, grading, packaging and other marketing facilities. The state government will construct seven sub-market yards in the state at a cost of Rs. 20 crore to ensure proper marketing of vegetables in the state.
The Himachal Pradesh Government has enhanced the subsidy for small and marginal farmers for the construction of poly houses to 85 percent from April 1, 2013. The state government has simplified the process of registration of tractors for agriculture purpose to ensure that the farmers get benefit of exemption from token tax.
The Himachal Pradesh Government has given due emphasis on marketing linkages through modern wholesale markets, sub market yards and cold storage facilities so that the farmers get remunerative prices of their produce and are protected from exploitation at the hands of middlemen.