India's Finance Ministry has sanctioned ₹13 bln (€170 mln) for the Sub-tropical Horticulture, Irrigation and Value Addition (HP SHIVA) project for Himachal Pradesh. 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.
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 horticulture minister Mahender Singh Thakur.
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.
Source: hindustantimes.com