HP seeks ₹800 cr from BRICS, ADB for sub-tropical fruit crop

SHIMLA: Two years after the World Bank sanctioned ₹1,100crore loan to Himachal Pradesh for inclusive green growth, rural development, the hill state is now eyeing ₹800 crore funding from BRICS and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote sub-tropical fruit cultivation.

While major emphasis under the World Bank-funded project is water conservation and strengthening irrigation infrastructure, the state has prepared a dedicated project for sub-tropical fruits.

“At present only 81,394 hectares is area that produces subtropical fruits, which comes to 34% of the total area under fruit cultivation in the state,” horti- culture minister Mahinder Singh Thakur said on Tuesday while chairing a meeting of officials concerned to formulate the new project.

“State government has prepared an ambitious project for promotion of sub-tropical horticulture in lower hills of the state. The ₹800 crore first phase of this project will be posed for funding by external agencies such as BRICS and ADB through the Centre,” he added.

Under the project, planting material will be sourced from sources such as Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and private sector nurseries located within and outside the country, the minister added.

A source in the horticulture department said the minister wanted to amend the existing World Bank-funded project and turn it to lower region of the state.

This, however, was not possible, the source added.

A horticulture department official, on request of anonymity, said the existing project does take care of lower regions, but the minister wanted a separate but similar project for such areas.

A project for doubling income of farmers through water conservation has also been prepared by the government. “First phase worth about 110 million US Dollars has been prepared and will be posed for external funding through the Centre. Main thrust of this project will be on conservation of water for its effective use of irrigation,” Thakur said.