Shimla: The Horticulture Development Project in Himachal Pradesh has finally come to an end. Now, the state government will run this project. Apple growers will receive major relief through this project, and the government’s upcoming initiative will be a boon for the apple-dominance region. The project was extended twice, funded by the World Bank, and concluded a couple of days ago. All the funds have been spent on the project.
In the beginning, the project was allocated Rs. 1130 crore, but it was later reduced to Rs. 880 crore owing to several delays and unfinished work. The project had to face some contentious issues, such as low-quality apple saplings and higher costs for the growers, which led to various disputes. Now, the project is completed, and many significant tasks have been accomplished.
Currently, the state government has been trying to set up new markets for apple growers for the benefit of the farmers. This year farmers have already done good business due to new market policy initiated by the government, especially in the Parala market, where apple trading was the highest this time. HPMC (Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation) used the funds to set up a fruit processing center near Parala with a capacity to produce 38,000 metric tons of apple concentrate. Besides this, two more apple processing units are being established.
Earlier, farmers were given the seedlings from the USA and Italy so that they could grow new apple varieties under this project. But this didn’t change the fortunes of the apple growers. At last the project is completed, and the final report regarding the project will be provided to the World Bank, where all the details will be mentioned.
