Apple makes way for pomegranate in Himachal

Just across Aut, the natural gateway to the Kullu valley, they have grown pomegranate orchards all along the banks of the Beas.

Significantly, most of these new plantations have come up in place of apple orchards. A good number of them are fresh orchards as well.

Meet Daljeet Singh, 52, a post-graduate, who took up farming some two decades ago with the cultivation of hybrid tomatoes. After a successful stint with Kiwi fruit, Daljeet led from the front in pomegranate cultivation. Soon, more than 200 farmers in the area replicated Daljeet’s experiment and are now producing some of the best varieties of pomegranate. This was in addition to kiwi, apricot, plum, pears and apples that they were already producing.

Their success is inspiring. It’s been only little over half a decade since the farmers began commercial cultivation of pomegranate in the Kullu’s rain-shadow area between Aut and Raison, and the production near Manali, for instance, has already exceeded 20 trucks. Nearly 5 to 10 per cent of the produce is also picked by a Jalgaon-based company of Maharshatra that produces fruit wines.

With pomegranate production increasing every year, more and more companies have begun thronging the area. Last year, the farmers sold pomegranates at the rate of Rs 80 per kg. The low-grade ones were bought by winery units at Rs 50 per kg.

“The farmers were initially attracted to kiwi cultivation. The crop progressed well but because of stiff market competition, mainly from export varieties, the venture did not prove so lucrative. Pomegranate has been a huge hit. The fruit not only got unexpected response from the farming community but also found an excellent market within the state and outside,” say Daljeet,

What really helped the pomegranate is the climatic condition of Kullu.

Explains Director, state’s horticulture department, Gurdev Singh, “In fact, the belt where pomegranates are grown received very less rains during the monsoon. The fruit, however, grew well, without being affected by the scanty rains. Its water requirement is met through drip irrigation.”

Scientists at Bajaura horticulture research station of Dr Y S Parmar Horticulture University, Solan, say there is a demand of 20,000 to 25,000 pomegranate plants every year in Kullu alone. Of this, nearly 15,000 are produced at the research station.

The private nurseries are also being flooded with demands. A few popular varieties being grown in Kullu include kandhari kabuli, kandhari hansi, and Ganesh. Last year, a new variety, bhagwa, was also released for commercial cultivation.

Daljeet says pomegranate faces competition from the Italian varieties. “What farmers now require is better technology, skills and innovations, which could be gained only through experience and interactions. There is a need to increase irrigation network also, instead of just fruit subsidies,” he said.

Daljeet claims that income from pomegranate farms could be more than Rs five lakh per acre. “I want to raise my income up to Rs nine lakh,” he says.

If Daljeet reaches the target that he has set for himself, Himachal Pradesh could well be a destination for new fruit varieties in no time.