Vegetable growers in Himachal Pradesh, India || Agriculture and Horticulture in Himalayan State of India

Agriculture in different states of India has been some of the main topics for media, governments and more importantly to farmers of the nation. Scenarios have changed in various parts of country due to various reasons around Governmental policies, awareness about different types of fruit products, changing lifestyle, Economic race etc. With this many things have changed in last 10 years and these changes have been more intense as compared to changes in the past, if we talk about Agriculture and Horticulture. Let's have a look into this PHOTO JOURNEY with some farmers who grow vegetables in Himalayan State of India

Here is a photograph of Himachali lady in farmland with various vegetables. She was working on cabbage and we talked to her for few minutes to know the way they do this work. She explained the way they used to run their Agricultural business 10 years back and the differences they have seen with enhanced technology, inflation etc. Now her family has left growing basic stuff like wheat and better utilizing by growing vegetables, herbs etc.

In fact many of the families have huge land and need to appoint people on daily wages, whenever needed. Surprisingly, this family mentioned about one of the NGO who works very closely with these folks to make them aware about government schemes, seeds they should use and techniques etc. We are feeling bad that name of that NGO is missed somewhere. We shall try to figure out and share...

Of course, every vegetable can't be grown in hills. So folks in Himachal are trained by various government and non-government organizations to get best out of it. People having no Apple orchards also earn enough out of this business and hope to see younger generation to focus on basic values of land Himachalis have.

Fresh fruits like cherry, apricot, peach and plum are some of the main fruits grown in Himachal Pradesh. With the entry of private sector companies like M/s Adani Agro Fresh, Dev Bhoomi, the Container Corporation of India and Mother Dairy in fruit and vegetable business in the state, the change in market conditions is already perceptible as fruit growers have been striking farm gate prices and eliminating traders completely.

Going organic is the new mantra in Himachal Pradesh, with over 25,000 farmers cashing in on the high demand and remunerative prices of organic food – be it fruits, vegetables or pulses. Agriculture is the mainstay of people in the hill state, providing direct employment to about 71 percent population. As organic farming is gaining ground, the government in December last year announced the creation of an agency for scientific validation and certification of organic produce.

The economy of the state is also highly dependent on horticulture with the annual industry being worth about Rs.2,000 crore. Over 200,000 families are engaged in the cultivation of apple alone.