Himachal Wins Best State Award for Horticulture Excellence

Shimla, Dec 22 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh has received the Best State Award for excellent work in the horticulture sector in the country followed by Uttarakhand and Kashmir, officials said on Friday.

Secretary Horticulture, C Paulrasu received the honour from Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda at the 14th 'Agriculture Leadership Conclave' held in Delhi on Thursday, a statement issued here said.

It was due to the initiatives and measures to promote and adopt natural farming, high-density plantation and procurement of apples on per kilogram basis, that the state bagged the first prize in horticulture, stated Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi.

He said that the state has long been regarded as a horticultural state due to achievements in the production of fruits, mainly apples, besides various temperate fruits such as peach, pear, plum, apricot and the subtropical fruit crops such as mango, citrus, litchi.

The state government is mulling to implement Cluster Development Programme (CDP) which has a great potential to transform the entire horticulture ecosystem, said the Minister.