Shimla, Oct 22 Himachal Pradesh exported 1.3 tonnes of Sinduri variety pomegranates grown in Kullu district to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.
The state government is taking multiple effective steps to improve the economic conditions of farmers and horticulturists, Sukhu said.
He said that to ensure remunerative prices for their produce, the government was not only facilitating access to markets within the state and across the country but was also extending all possible assistance to help them reach international markets.
As a result of these efforts, he said, 1.3 metric tonnes of Sinduri variety pomegranates produced in Kullu district were exported to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The regional office of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Chandigarh, facilitated the export of this consignment.
The pomegranates were sourced from farmers in Kullu and the Bhuntar Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) based in Kullu. Around 600 farmers are associated with this FPO. The farmers who supplied the pomegranates include Reena Devi, Sanjay Kumar, Nitish Kumar and Vir Singh Guleria.
Sukhu said that the government was providing all possible facilities to help farmers access domestic and international markets for their produce.
The Chief Minister further said that in June this year, an initial consignment of 400 kg of cherries and 400 kg of plums, produced by six progressive farmers from the Jadol-Tikkar and Bagi areas of Shimla district, was exported to Oman.
He urged the farmers to cultivate high-quality varieties to meet international market demands so fruits from Himachal Pradesh could establish a distinct identity in global markets.
(PTI News)
