Himachal Popularising Polyhouse Farming:

The Government of Himachal Pradesh is promoting farming inside modern greenhouses

called polyhouses to improve the earning potential of farmers in the state, especially
during the harsh winters. The economy of the hill state is highly dependent on
agriculture, apart from hydroelectric power and tourism. But most of its farmers have
small landholdings on hill slopes, and need to augment their incomes.
Shimla: The Government of Himachal Pradesh is promoting farming inside modern greenhouses called
polyhouses to improve the earning potential of farmers in the state, especially during the harsh winters.
The economy of the hill state is highly dependent on agriculture, apart from hydroelectric power and tourism.
But most of its farmers have small landholdings on hill slopes, and need to augment their incomes.
It is difficult to grow anything outdoors in the harsh Himalayan winters. So the government is now promoting
polyhouse farming, especially for off-season cultivation.
Polyhouses are based on the greenhouse concept to let in heat and light, while preventing the heat from
getting out. But instead of the glass on a greenhouse roof, polyhouses are made of cheaper polythene or
plastic.
By reducing evaporation, they also allow farmers to use sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, thus saving water.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned a loan of Rs 155 crore to
the hill state under which 30,000 polyhouses would be set up in the next four years to promote off-season
farming, particularly in the lower- and mid-hills.
"The government will provide 80 per cent subsidy for land up to 1,000 square metres to establish sprinklers and
drip irrigation systems, and the remaining 20 per cent would be borne by the farmer himself," Agriculture
Director JC Rana said.
He said that each farmer would be provided 50 per cent financial assistance for the creation of water resources
like shallow wells, pumps and water-drawing systems for the polyhouses.
"The main objective of the project is to promote high-yield production of cash crops and judicious use of natural
resources like land and water," Rana said.
Farmers in the state are ready to cash in. They said the polyhouses would enable improvement in crop
productivity, which reduces drastically during winter.

"We have been in the business of cultivating flowers for the past seven years. Now with the help of
greenhouses, we will be able to improve the quality and quantity of the flowers," said Nagina Singh, a farmer
based on the outskirts of Dharamsala town.
He said the government had promised to train farmers so that optimum benefits could be reaped by using
modern techniques.
Another farmer, Sham Negi, has been cultivating exotic vegetables at Palampur in Kangra district for more than
five years.
"Earlier we (farmers) were sceptical about the new techniques. Now cultivation under controlled climatic
conditions is the best option to get good results," Negi said.
He said climatic changes over the years had adversely affected crop yield.
"We (the state) can be the flower provider to the world and the farmer can increase his income over five times.
There are few locations in the world that have climatic conditions suitable for growing flowers. In the hill state,
over 50 per cent of the land is climatically suitable for floriculture," the Agriculture Director Rana said.
Himachal Pradesh annually earns more than Rs 2,500 from the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. The
cultivation of exotic vegetables and flowers in polyhouses will add to the prosperity of the growers.

http://www.igovernment.in/articles/21965/himachal-popularising-polyhousefarming

New Himachal power policy to tap solar energy

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh government has decided to come out with new power policy to harness
solar energy. Chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday said that state government was
endeavouring to preserve the depleting conventional resources to meet the increasing demand of
power.
He said state government soon would come out with a new Power Policy with a view to harness the
solar energy. Besides, possibilities of more hydro power and other non-conventional power resources
were also being explored in the state, he added.
He said that HIMURJA with the support of ministry of new and renewable energy government of
India, is organizes various functions to create awareness about use of eco-friendly renewal energy
which had no recurring fuel cost. He said the development and more use of renewal energy sources
Having exploited the hydro potential of state in a big way, now government is also going to tap the
solar energy. Virbhadra Singh said that state government had reserved the small hydro power
projects up to 2MW capacity exclusively for the Himachalis whereas preference was also being given
to them in the projects up to 5MW capacity.

Recently chief minister had informed the 14th finance commission members in Shimla that over 95
per cent of the total 23000 MW exploitable hydro power capacity available in the state had been
allocated and the upfront premium received in this respect.
He said that per unit sale rate of power has come down from Rs 7 to about Rs 2-3 per unit. This has
dampened the interest of the independent power producers who have been allotted power projects;
besides they are unable to attain financial closure, he added. He requested the commission to
recommend to the Government of India to permit Himachal Pradesh to levy generation tax on hydro
power produced within the state.
He further mentioned that bill for taxation on generation of power within state has been passed by
the State Legislative Assembly and was waiting Presidential assent. He clarified that article 288(2) of
the Constitution enables the state to impose this tax. could lead to sustainable and environment
friendly energy security in the state.

Himachal heading for off-season

vegetable boom
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh, whose economy largely depends on agriculture and
horticulture, hopes to sharply increase the land area to cultivate off-season
vegetables. The hill state is also eyeing investment in cold chains.
An additional 4,000 hectares are to be brought under off-season vegetables in the
next fiscal. Private investment is also being encouraged to set up storage facilities.
The agriculture department figures show that Himachal Pradeshs annual output of
off-season vegetables has reached 1.4 million tonnes with a turnover of about
Rs.2,500 crore.
There is still a vast scope for expansion of off-season vegetables as only about 10
percent of the cropped area has been brought under vegetable cultivation, Chief
Minister Virbhadra Singh said in his budget speech Friday.
I propose to cover an additional 4,000 hectare area under off-season vegetables
during 2014-15, he said, allocating Rs.55 crore for that.
Singh also proposed to start a Rs.100-crore Y.S. Parmar Kisan Swarozgar Yojana to
popularise farming inside modern greenhouses called polyhouses and to augment
farmer incomes.
Named after the states first chief minister, the scheme has a target of constructing
4,700 polyhouses covering 830,000 square metres in the next financial year.
Agriculture officials said the farmers would be provided 85 percent subsidy under
the Horticulture Technology Mission to set up a polyhouse.
The project will be phased over three years and will not only increase the production
of vegetables but create employment opportunities for about 20,000 people.
Most farmers in the state have small landholdings on hill slopes.
To promote coffee cultivation, coffee demonstration trials would be carried out in

Kangra, Mandi, Una and Bilaspur districts by the Coffee Board of India.
And to promote agriculture and horticulture, all vegetables and fruit crops will be
exempt from market fee from next fiscal.
Singh also announced an apple rejuvenation project covering 1,500 hectare.
An additional area of 1,000 hectare is proposed to be covered under microirrigation during 2014-15, said Singh, who also heads the finance ministry.
He said the process to import improved varieties and rootstocks of apple, pear,
cherry, walnut and strawberry would continue.
In order to attract private investment in horticulture, all private investors who
intend to invest in the controlled atmosphere stores in the rural areas would get
land at a token lease money of Re.1. We will also diversify the activities of HPMC
(Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corp) towards
vegetables processing by setting up two vegetable pack houses in Ghumarwin in
Bilaspur district and Nadaun in Hamirpur district, he said.
Marketing yards will come up at Mehendli, Fatehpur, Anu, Bhadshali, Jukhala, Totu,
Tapri and Shillai.
Himachal Pradesh annually earns more than Rs.2,500 crore from the cultivation of
vegetables, whereas horticulture generates more than Rs.3,200 crore annual
income.
The cultivation of exotic vegetables and flowers in polyhouses and setting up of
controlled atmosphere chains is expected to add to earnings for growers. (IANS)

http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2014/02/11/himachal-heading-for-off-seasonvegetable-boom/
Himachal Pradesh Government to rescue farmers burdened with huge
loans in MIDH scheme
Shimla, Apr 2 (PTI) HP government has decided to rescue those farmers and horticulturists,
who adopted polyhouse cultivation technique under 'Horticulture Mission' scheme but got buried
under heavy loan due to failed crops.
The government has come to rescue of the farmers and decided to provide assistance to those
who were interested to construct polyhouses again despite the fact that they had already availed
this assistance under the scheme, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today.
All those who are interested to reconstruct polyhouses upto 4000 square meters, he said,
would be imparted training besides providing 85 per cent subsidy under the Mission
for Integrated development of Horticulture (MIDH).

Earlier, the subsidy was 50 per cent which would be raised to 85 per cent, chief minister said.
Government has also decided to give 50 per cent subsidy on planting material to all the
affected farmers on demand, and priority will be given to those farmers in all such schemes and
activities of the horticulture department including MIDH, he added.
Singh said Department of Horticulture would frame detailed guidelines within 15 days for
verification of the affected farmers and chalk out the modalities for disbursement of benefits, to
save them from insolvency.
It is to be remembered that under Horticulture Mission 2003-04, there was a provision for
providing 50 per cent assistance for construction of polyhouses.
Many farmers and horticulturists got motivated and adopted the technique.
They constructed polyhouses and started production of high value crops and floriculture
activities on large scale and started growing vegetables.
Under the scheme they were getting 50 per cent subsidy for constructing polyhouses only, and
they arranged huge loans from the banks for procuring the planting material which nearly cost
them around from Rs 800 to Rs 1000 per square meter.
Since the technique was new to many horticulturists and farmers, they raised huge loans from
the banks but did not get the desired yields, and suffered huge financial losses and failed to
repay loans.
Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes said "directions had been issued to Horticultural department
to speed up the matter and take up the necessary follow up action."
The government was also exploring possibilities of holding meetings with the bankers for one
time settlement of their loans by the farmers and horticulturists.

http://www.niticentral.com/2015/04/03/himachal-pradesh-government-torescue-farmers-burdened-with-huge-loans-in-midh-scheme-308820.html

Farmers take to polyhouses

Grow high-value crops across Himachal with the adoption of the all-weather technolgy
Vinod Kumar, a horitculturist in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, is pleased with the 40 sq
mt polyhouseon his farm. He believes the polyhouse has provided him with the option of diversifying
into agricultural crops he is growing capsicum inside the polyhouse.
A polyhouse is a protective shade made of polythene used for growing high value agricultural
products. The temperature, humidity and ventilation are controlled by equipment installed inside and
crops grown in it are therefore protected from unfavourable weather.
"I am planning to have many more such polyhouses on the farm, as it provides an opportunity to
cultivate crops that would suffer if subjected to the vagaries of the weather," he says.
Kumar is one of many farmers in Himachal who are looking to reap the benefit of installing
polyhouses on their land, under a Nabard-assisted scheme launched by the state government. The
scheme requires the farmer to pay just 20 per cent of the cost of a polyhouse while 80 per cent is
subsidised.
The Rs 353 crore Deen Dayal Kisan Samridhi Kisan Yojna, launched in 2008 by the state
government, aims to uplift the social status of farmers and simultaneously is an attempt at crop
diversification. While the Rs 154.92 crore first phase of the project lays emphasis on production of
cash crops by adopting precision farming practices through polyhouse cultivation, the Rs 198.09
crore second phase provides for diversification of agriculture through micro-irrigation and other
related infrastructure.
A report of the state agriculture department says that farmers across the state are growing highvalue crops like capsicum, tomato, cucumber and leafy vegetables through the adoption of
greenhouse/polyhouse technology.
While productivity of polyhouse-grown crops is four to 10 times higher and the quality of produce is
better, the incidence of pests and diseases is low with better management.
Himachal Pradesh is strong in horticulture, and the productivity of vegetable crops is on the low side.
Given that it is a hill state, the net sown area is less than 10 per cent of the total geographical area.
The state government aims to increase the contribution of vegetables to the gross state domestic
product (GSDP) through the implementation of the polyhouse scheme. State agriculture officials said

that before the launch of the scheme the contribution of vegetables to GSDP was five per cent, and
it has now increased to seven-nine per cent.
The state government believes that the main advantage of having polyhouses is that it would provide
self-employment avenues to the youth and the rural population. Also, the aim is to create a supply of
fresh vegetables to big markets like Delhi as well as foreign countires.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/sme/farmers-take-to-polyhouses111053100062_1.html

Cool bounty from Himachal hothouses

Anytime farm: Polyhouse crop, safe from animals and untimely rains, at a village near Jubbar Hatti, 25 km from Shimla

Polyhouse farms yield more than a same-size land holding in this salubrious corner of the
country
Until a few years ago, monkeys and pigs destroyed everything the farmers grew in the villages around Jubbar
Hatti, 25 km from Shimla. Today the same farmers earn big money from growing exotic vegetables like bell
capsicum or carnation flowers, but inside a cluster of polyhouses spread across five panchayats in a 25,000 sq
m area. Offering safety from animals and untimely rains, polyhouses can come up even on very small holdings,
and the government offers subsidy too.
Ram Gopal, President of the regions Marketing Cooperative Society, says that after unsuccessfully trying
various methods to save their crops and livelihood, the farmers hit upon the idea of polyhouse farming during a

visit to Shimlas horticulture department. In fact, a polyhouse yields more produce than a same-sized land
holding. Moreover, as the region has no extreme climates, the polyhouses here dont require temperature
regulators. Ram Gopal and a few other farmers underwent training at Pune and set up their polyhouses with
the help of bank loans and government subsidy.
In less than five years, Ram Gopal has constructed five polyhouses of different sizes (mainly growing bell
capsicum, cucumber, and carnations), repaid 13.5 lakh loan, renovated his house and bought a car a few
months ago.
I earned more than 1 lakh on a single day from my red bell capsicum produce, which fetched over 260 a kg,
even though this variety is usually priced 105 to 110.
Attracted by such success, 37-year-old Praween left his technician job at Ambujas to take up polyhouse farming.
Today he has half-a-dozen polyhouses ranging in size from 50 sq m to 350 sq m. I am earning at least two to
three times the salary I got at the Ambujas, he says.
Several unemployed youth in the area have decided against migrating to cities for jobs and instead set up their
own polyhouses, also called modern greenhouses.
What has really drawn them to polyhouse farming is the fact that it requires much less hard work and they can
put their education to use here, says Praween.
The local Marketing Cooperative Society currently has 39 members and 20 share holders. Kamal Kant Mehta,
the latest to join the group, has started growing tomatoes in 560 sq m polyhouses.
The society is constructing a cold storage facility at a cost of 7 lakh, prompting the farmers to diversify into
experimental cultivation of iceberg lettuce, leek, broccoli and lillium flowers.
According to a study by Nabard Consultancy Services (NABCONS), polyhouses in Himachal Pradesh yielded
three to five times more vegetables than open farms. Under traditional farming, one acre can generate an
estimated annual income of 20,000 to 1.5 lakh. Depending on the crop cereals, vegetables or fruits
annual income from similar-sized polyhouses is estimated at 1 lakh to 5 lakh.
Additionally, income can be generated round the year through multiple crops, including off-season vegetables,
which fetch premium prices. Official figures show that Himachal Pradeshs annual output of off-season
vegetables has touched 1.4 million tonnes, generating a turnover of about 2,500 crore. There is potential for
even greater growth as only around 10 per cent of the cropped area currently grows off-season vegetables.
Polyhouse cultivation started in Himachal Pradesh in 2009 under the Kisan Bagwan Samridhi Yojana.
Today, with an eye on the countrywide market for off-season vegetables, the State government has enhanced its
subsidy for polyhouses to 85 per cent under a 100-crore YS Parmar Kisan Swarozgar Yojana. The target is to
construct 4,700 polyhouses measuring 83.535 lakh sq m.
Training is mandatory under the four-year scheme aimed at increasing vegetable production, raising farmers
income and creating employment opportunities for over 20,000 people.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/cool-bounty-from-himachalhothouses/article6622116.ece