Shimla, June 30 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Thursday asked a visiting parliamentary committee to help the state in improving infrastructure for smooth transportation and marketing of apples – the main fruit crop of the state.
‘Forty percent of apples being produced in the country are from the hill state but due to lack of infrastructure facilities, the apple growers are not getting remunerative prices,’ Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu told the parliamentary standing committee on commerce here.
The state recorded a bumper production of 44.5 million boxes of 20 kg-weight in 2010-11.
Sandhu said Kangra tea grown on 1,000 hectares in the state is quite popular and its quality is even better than the one from Darjeeling. ‘The state has requested the Indian government to give a special package to the state for Kangra tea revival which would benefit the growers.’
The state is annually producing 800,000 kg of tea.
Parliamentary standing committee on commerce chairman Shanta Kumar told reporters that the panel is exploring and reviewing export promotion schemes pertaining to agriculture and processed food products.
He said private entrepreneurs could set up small processing units in the apple-growing areas in the state.
The economy of the state is highly dependent on apples, besides hydropower and tourism. The apple industry is worth Rs.1,500 crore (around $330 million).
