At the foot of the King of Mountains – Himavan – flanked by lofty mountains and snow-clad peaks, Himachal, with its lush green forests, bubbling streams, emerald meadows, enchanting lakes and external snows, that make it a veritable cornucopia, nestles in the lap of Mother Nature like her favourite child. It is rightly called the “abode of Gods”.
In this lovely state, there is beauty at every step; with its green meadows of asphodel of hyacinth and celandine, of carmine rhododendron trees surrounded by solemn forests of deodar and towering pines Shimla retains its pristine splendours; the tourney up the Kullu Valley is a rhapsody of colour-in March the apricot trees burst into pink blossom while on the nigher slopes, the giant rhododendrons with their crimson flowers give the impression of trees decked out in gala red lanterns. Early in June the horse chestnuts are in flower, with millions of wild bees humming around them; in July masses of blue and purple iris are splashed over the hill-side and buttercups I range in colour from the familiar golden yellow to the pink red. Fruit farming has been and become even more a major industry in the Kullu Valley. Apples and pears of high quality are plentiful–as cheap as they are luscious–together with cherries, apricots, plums and peaches. In the adjoining Kangra valley, there are several well-laid out tea gardens. Formerly dedicated to the production of green tea for the Afghan market, the planters are turning to the processing of black tea.
Agriculture, Horticulture and Tourism are the most important occupations of the people of the Pradesh and more than 93 per cent of the population is directly or indirectly dependent for their livelihood on these occupations. Horticulture yields a greater percentage of return per acre than the corresponding agricultural crops. Low hills and the valley areas are utilized for growing of cereals and basic agricultural production, while the medium and higher zones are devoted to the development of horticulture. The Himachal Government planned an extensive horticulture development programme, bringing over one-third of the cultivable area in the Pradesh into use. The Agricultural Re-finance Corporation Scheme set aside funds in lacs of rupees to finance individual apple cultivators and orchard owners. Already extensive in the state, Himachal Pradesh got the largest number of prizes in the All India Apple Show. From an area of 3,000 acres under cultivation with a production of 7,000 tonnes of fruit in the state, in 1955, it increased to an area of 1,09,000 acres, 44329 hectares and a production of 1,49,000 tonnes in 1971. A 15 year horticultural development plan will bring 20,000 acres under horticulture every year. There are vast stretches of areas like slopy lands which are unfit for cultivation of ordinary crops and horticulture is the only answer for their optimum utilization. Fruit is the people’s only hope.
Horticulture is the special feature of Himachal Pradesh economy. With the big strides taken in the state, it has earned the name of the foremost producer of quality apples. With its salubrious climate, Kotgarh offers some of the choicest apples in the country–Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Royal Delicious are some of the best brands, produced also at Kullu. The apple farm in Kotgarh which supplies apples all over India, was started by an American, Donald Stokes, who came on a trip of the Himalayas, and fell in love with the country. He married and settled down in Kotgarh, starting the orchards that bear his name. The name Stokes is almost a byword in the apple country and the circles of choice apple lovers.
For the development of horticulture as many as 95 progeny-cum-demonstration orchards have been set up at different elevations to cater to the needs of the cultivators of the surrounding areas With the steady increase, the production has gone up to nearly four lakh tonnes. In Manali, in the Kullu Valley, are many apple and fruit orchards mainly owned by British settlers and local people. Comprising the two erstwhile states of Mandi and Suket, the area under fruits in Mandi is about 15 per cent of the total area under fruits in Himachal Pradesh.
Tourism in Himachal Pradesh has gained importance in the recent times , The tourism experiences in the state include art , craft , history , culture , architecture , culinary , adventure , winter sports and many more . The most popular holiday destinations in Himachal are Shimla , Manali , Dalhousie and Dharamshala , For more details on Himachal pradesh tour packages contact Swan Tours -One of the leading travel agent in Delhi operating since 1995.
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