Apple, kiwi, and dragon fruit cultivation to gain momentum in Uttarakhand; Chief Secretary issues instructions
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A meeting was held today at the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan with senior officials regarding the high-density apple orchard scheme. Discussions were held on increasing the production of apples, kiwis, and dragon fruit in the state.
Need to establish orchards of the latest apple varieties: CS
The Chief Secretary said that there is a need for large-scale work to establish orchards of the latest apple varieties under the “High-Density Apple Orchard Scheme.” He emphasized the need to encourage farmers in the districts to adopt a Cluster-Based Approach. He said that the objective of this scheme is to increase apple production in the state and enhance farmers’ income. There is immense potential to increase the apple production area in the state.
Instructions given to assess apple production capacity
The Chief Secretary instructed that the state’s production capacity, especially for apples, be assessed to increase the productivity of apples, kiwis, and dragon fruit. He said that production targets should be set for each district for the years 2030, 2040, and 2050, and the plan should be implemented accordingly. The Chief Secretary said that cold storage facilities should be established in other areas of the state, similar to the one in Jhala (Harshil, Uttarkashi). This will enable farmers to sell apples and other produce in the off-season and earn higher profits.
Instructions given to upgrade nurseries
The Chief Secretary said that most areas of the state are still cultivating old, low-yielding crop varieties. These need to be replaced with high-yielding apple varieties. He emphasized that this should be done through extensive interaction with farmers. He also directed that nurseries be upgraded to meet future demand. He further added that nurseries should be developed to produce high-yielding saplings on a large scale. PMU to be constituted for full-time technical support: CS
Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan said that a Project Management Unit (PMU) should be created for full-time technical support so that this scheme can be implemented on a large scale. The Chief Secretary also discussed Uttarakhand’s production capacity and the national production capacity in comparison to the production capacities of other states with the officials.
