Dehradun: A meeting was held at the Secretariat on Friday, chaired by Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan, with senior officials of the government regarding the high-density apple orchard scheme. On this occasion, the Chief Secretary discussed with the officials the possibilities of increasing the production of apples, kiwis, and dragon fruit in the state. The Chief Secretary discussed in detail Uttarakhand’s production capacity in comparison to the national production capacity and the production capacity of other states.
The Chief Secretary said that under the “High-Density Apple Orchard Scheme,” there is a need to work on a large scale to establish orchards of the latest varieties of apples. For this, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need to motivate farmers in the districts to adopt a cluster-based approach. He said that the objective of this scheme is to promote apple production in the state and increase farmers’ income. There is still immense potential to increase the apple production area in the state, which will prove to be a significant step towards increasing the production of apples, kiwis, and dragon fruit in the state.
The Chief Secretary directed that the production capacity of the state, especially the apple production capacity, be assessed to increase the productivity of apples, kiwis, and dragon fruit. He said that production targets should be set for each district based on their capacity for 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 on the lines of the cold storage facility in Jhala (Harshil, Uttarkashi). This will enable farmers to sell their apples and other produce in the off-season and earn more profit.
The Chief Secretary said that in most areas of the state, old, low-yielding varieties of crops are still being cultivated. There is a need to replace them with high-density apple plants. For this, work should be done in this direction by engaging in extensive dialogue with the farmers. He directed that the nurseries be upgraded according to the future demand. He said that nurseries should be developed to prepare high-density plants on a large scale. A Project Management Unit (PMU) should be constituted for full-time technical support so that this scheme can be implemented on a large scale. This will enable continuous monitoring to ensure the success of the schemes on the ground.
Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Dilip Jawalkar, Dr. V. Shanmugam, and Dr. S.N. Pandey, along with other senior officers, were present on this occasion.
