Analysis of Production and Marketing of Fruits and Vegetables in District Sirmour Himachal Pradesh

The study found that Himachal Pradesh occupied 2.31 lakh ha area under fruits during 2019-20 that produced 8.45 lakh MT production valued at Rs. 4225 crore. However, just half of the area under vegetables (0.86 lakh ha) in comparison to fruits produced more than twice (18.61 lakh MT) of vegetables valued at Rs. 5583 crore. Among fruits, apples alone accounted for nearly 49 per cent of area and contributed as much as 85 per cent in the production. In vegetables, green peas recorded the highest area (30.48%) followed by tomato, garlic and cauliflower. However, in terms of production, tomatoes achieved first rank with 29 per cent share in the vegetables production followed by green peas and cabbage. In the study district Sirmaur, mango, peach, apple among fruits and garlic, tomato and green peas were the important vegetables in terms of acreage. Over a period of 15 years, garlic has emerged as the single largest crop occupying nearly 31 per cent area and second largest in production with 23 per cent and highest share of Rs. 572.05 crore in the economy of the district. In terms of area, production and productivity, garlic has also recorded the highest growth rates over a period of 15 years (2004-05 to 2019-20). For the sale of fruits and vegetables nine market years including one APMC at Paonta Sahib has been established in the district where 98 shop outlets have been constructed and allotted 65 commission agents. All the cash crops grown in the district were found exported through regulated markets to nearby states like national capital New Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab. Majority (90.03%) of marketable surplus of tomato was sold in different markets of New Delhi such as Azadpur, Nangloi and Tilaknagar. In case of garlic, major part (85%) of the produce was exported to Tamil Nadu (65.45%), Kerala (8.00%), Delhi (5.01%) and Gujarat (1.98%) wholesale markets through Producer ❑ Local Trader ❑ Wholesaler/CA (outside the state) ❑ Retailer ❑ Consumer marketing channel. The study suggests that if crop specific micro agro-processing units are established near the major pockets, these may not only be helpful to enhance the producer’s share in consumer’s rupee, but also create additional employment avenues in the district.