SHIMLA: The farmers demand that Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project (HP HDP) authorities should focus on providing the disease-free latest varieties of apple and other fruits rather than spending the funds on foreign junkets for bureaucrats, that will serve a little purpose.
The farmers are not getting good plant material from the horticulture department-run nurseries which need a lot of modernisation of both plants and manpower.
Even as 50 per cent of project money has been spent, the farmers rue that there is no reasons to cheer about the the project.
The farmers resent the nexus between private nursery breeders and the block level horticultural officials. “We are getting dead and substandard plants from the nurseries and provision of assured irrigation is a big hoax”, they rued.
The farmers raised these issues independently voicing their concern over the shoddy progress of the project.
The farmers also demand that it was strange that the government is sending bureaucrats on foreign tours under the project, rather than the farmers who will learn new techniques of horticulture in the world.
They cited the last trip of officials to foreign countries to learn new techniques etc of the horticulture, which had raise the ire of the farmers as not even a single famer was sent abroad under this project, they resented.
On the other hand, appreciating the progress of the project at the meeting of the officials over the progress of the project, the Chief Secretary RD Dhiman directed to expedite the various activities of the project, construction of community irrigation facilities.
The project is being implemented by HPMC and State Agricultural Marketing Board.
He directed the department to produce more and more quality saplings in the nurseries of the department to reduce dependence on imported plants and to provide high quality plants at cheap prices.
He said that training and skill development of the technical staff working in the nurseries of the Horticulture Department should be ensured to maintain high quality of the nurseries.
Secretary Horticulture Amitabh Awasthi detailed about the project.
He said that the total cost of the project was Rs. 1066 crore and out of it about Rs. 644 crore has been spent so far.
Project Director Sudesh Kumar Mokta said that about 30 lakh saplings have been imported under the project so far. About 5 to 6 times yield has been obtained from the plants planted in the Horticulture University.
He said that the work of irrigation projects was in progress in 216 clusters under the project.
He said that CA stores, grading lines and fruit processing units are being constructed and upgraded in 15 units of HPMC under the project. He informed that nine Mandis (markets) are being constructed and upgraded under the project by the State Agricultural Marketing Board.
Principal Secretary (Forests) Rajneesh and Director Horticulture Dr. R.K. Pruthi and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.
