Himachal’s organic crop zone

Tucked away from Himachal’s prosperous vegetable and fruit belt, Pangi is yet to grab the spotlight it deserves for growing organic fruits and vegetables in abundance.

Tucked away from Himachal’s prosperous vegetable and fruit belt, Pangi is yet to grab the spotlight it deserves for growing organic fruits and vegetables in abundance.

This inaccessible land-locked valley got its first motorable road only a decade ago, which is when the tribals here took up organic farming — that is growing fruits and vegetables without the use of of fertilisers and pesticides. Pangi’s headquarters Killar has been connected by a road with Lahaul-Spiti district via 13,051-feet Rohtang Pass.

The organic green peas grown in Pangi have already hit the markets in Delhi and Chandigarh. Apples, grown at a height between 18,000 and 21,000 feet for the first time, are also ready to be sold to bulk buyers.

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Till recently, Pangi did not even have cash crops or fruits, which have changed the economy of the entire Kinnaur, Spiti and Lahual valleys.

The valley has faced neglect in the matters of development. “The road connectivity, however, brought about a big change”, said Beni Chand, a local Block Samiti head.

Take, for instance, the case of Rohini Devi, 32, who has sold green peas worth Rs 60,000 that she grew in only two bighas of land. “I have seven bighas of land and started cultivation of green peas in 2002. This year, the crop has been very good. I did not face any problem in marketing the produce as the traders themselves came calling to our fields.”

In all, Pangi produced green peas worth Rs 40 lakh this season. Two areas — Sural Bhatori and Saichu — have emerged as the most fertile belts for the peas.

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Producing apples at a height of 20,000 feet, too, was a challenge for the farmers. But climatic conditions and soil quality were well suited for the growth of the fruit. The apple varieties grown here have, in fact, surprised all. “The apples, mainly the royal varieties, produced here are of very high quality and free from pesticides. If things progress this way, Pangi will be earning no less than Rs 3 to Rs 4 crore every season. Marketing won’t be a problem as the traders are making direct purchases here,” said Tulsi Ram , local MLA and state Assembly Speaker.

The state government, in order to keep Pangi completely free from chemical use, has decided not to allow sale of fertilisers or pesticides here at all.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was on a trip to Pangi recently, underlined the need to promote Pangi as an organic crop zone.

“The soil of Pangi is still very fertile as the farmers have never undertaken intensive agriculture operations here. This is going to be the USP for marketing the valley’s produce outside the state,” he had said.

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So far, only 2,665 hectares of land in Pangi has been brought under farming and fruit cultivation.