Punjab promotes horticulture, leading to litchi export

Amritsar: The Punjab government has been working continuously to make the horticulture farmers of the state prosperous. In this regard, Punjab’s crop diversification scheme has proved a boon, especially in the horticulture sector. The state government has been encouraging farmers to go for maximum cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and flowers instead of traditional farming, resulting in the export of litchi from the state for the first time.

The Litchi of Punjab can be seen on the shelves of London’s stores. Rakesh Dadwal, a progressive farmer from Pathankot district, did the litchi farming on a large scale; later, it was transported to England from Amritsar. Currently, 3,250 hectares of land in Punjab is being used for the farming of litchi, producing about 13,000 metric tonnes. Several semi-hill districts, such as Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Hoshiarpur, have a favorable climate for litchi production.

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With the commencement of the export of litchi. The fruit growers will definitely get huge profits. Credit must be given to the Punjab government for its initiative. It is expected that exports of other horticultural crops will be dispatched abroad with the support of the Horticulture Department and APEDA in the near future.

Since the coming of the Mann government, the horticulture area has gone up by 42,406 hectares. Orchard coverage increased from 96,686 hectares to 103,161 hectares, with an increase of 6,475 hectares under fruit cultivation. Besides this, vegetable cultivation is being done on 321,466 hectares. The area under ornamental plants has grown from 1,728 to 2,050 hectares.

The Punjab government has left no stone unturned in the promotion of horticulture, providing a subsidy of Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers. This will encourage the farming community to adopt drip irrigation for planting gardens.