Dept has 86,000 plants, farmers need 1.80 lakh

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 15

Apple farmers are facing an acute shortage of imported plants. The Horticulture Department has only 86,000 plants, while the farmers want 1.80 lakh of these under the world-funded Rs 1,143 crore project.

The department has created about 326 clusters of farmers for distributing root-stock plants under the project.

This means 326 plants per cluster, which comprises more than 30 to 50 farmers.

“A farmer is not getting even 10 plants,” Ranjit Thakur, an orchardist, said.

According to the farmers, the plantation season is at its peak as snow and high-moisture content in the soil have created a favourable environment for planting new plants.

“But the farmers are not getting certified virus-free plants from the department as the procurement was delayed and not done from certified nurseries abroad. The tussle between the Horticulture Minister and the then Principal Secretary (Horticulture) further delayed the project,” they said.

Last year, even World Bank has pulled up the department over the slow pace of work on the project.

Project director Dinesh Malhotra said the Department hae already started distributing plants among the farmers as per the availability of material. “We have 86,000 plants, which have been quarantined. But we have got a demand for 1.80 lakh plants, which can be met next year,” he added.

Malhotra said they hoped to distribute about 1.50 lakh plants next year. “We have targeted to give 50 lakh plants under the project in the next five years. We will form about 1,100 clusters,” he added.