Dharamsala, Nov 16 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday launched the second phase of a crop diversification project worth Rs 1,010 crore supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The phase-II of the JICA-aided crop diversification project entailing investment of Rs 1,010.60 crore would be implemented in all the 12 districts of the state and would give a big boost to the socio-economic status of farmer’s families, Thakur said at the launch of the project.
The phase-I of the HP Crop Diversification Promotion Project (HPCDP) being implemented in five districts namely Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una on pilot basis since 2011, has virtually transformed the economy of the farmers in these districts.
The main objective of this project is to disseminate a successful model of crop diversification and increase the vegetable area in the project area from 2,500 hectares to 7,000 hectares by 2031, the chief minister said.
“Despite limited financial resources and slowdown due to the Corona pandemic, the present state government has launched various new schemes to promote irrigation, agriculture, horticulture, forestry and allied sectors besides ensuring all-round and equitable development of the state,” Thakur mentioned.
He said that in order to fulfil the vision and commitment towards rapid development of the state, the government was mobilizing resources from all possible sources including central government, external funding agencies like JICA, World Bank and Asian Development Bank etc.
“The state government considers JICA to be the most important source of financial support and partner in the development of the state. There is a huge potential for cultivation of off-season vegetables in this region and the state government has created a strong network of market yards to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers. Still a lot more such mandis were required in the state so that farmers could have easy access for marketing their products and getting better prices, the chief minister said.
Jai Ram Thakur said that both India and Japan have developed systems of sustainable production instead of bulk production of food grains. The United Nations has also set goals for sustainable development which were to be achieved by 2030.
The government of Himachal Pradesh has institutionalized the sustainable development goals by supporting them in the budgetary and planning process and the State looks forward to meeting these goals in a record time.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the exhibition and released a few publications regarding success stories of the first phase of the project on the occasion. A documentary film on JICA was also screened on the occasion.
