₹1300 crore sanctioned for horticulture project in Himachal

The Asian Development Bank will provide financial assistance of about ₹1036 crore for the project, while the remaining amount will be spent by the state government

Shimla The Union finance ministry has sanctioned ₹1300 crore Sub-tropical Horticulture, Irrigation and Value Addition (HP SHIVA) project for Himachal Pradesh.

Representational image.

Envisaged in 2018, the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded project aims at harnessing the horticulture potential of the sub-tropical region spread across 28 blocks of seven districts including Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Sirmour and Una, said horticulture minister Mahender Singh Thakur.

The ADB will provide financial assistance of about ₹1036 crore for the project, while the remaining amount will be spent by the state government.

The HPSHIVA project will be implemented in an area of about 6,000 hectares promoting the production of sub-tropical fruits like orange, guava, pomegranate, litchi, plum, Japanese fruit, mango etc. The project will run for five years from the year 2022-23 to 2027-28, said the minister.

Horticulture secretary Amitabh Avasthi said that the successful implementation of the HPSHIVA Project Readiness Financing (PRF) Phase has paved way for upscaling the horticulture activities to a much larger area which has the potential of making a significant difference in the lives and livelihoods of many more rural households.

The PRF phase started in December 2020 and will end in November 2022 at 17 locations in four districts under which ₹75 crore was spent.