my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 9 Oct: State Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi today inaugurated the two-day ‘Apple Festival 2.0’ organised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) at its office located in the IT Park, Sahastradhara, here. During the event, the minister visited various stalls set up by farmers from different districts and interacted with them.
NABARD had organised a one-day ‘Apple Festival 1.0’ last year as well. The objective of this festival is to provide a direct marketing platform connecting apple and kiwi growers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) of Uttarakhand with consumers. Inspired by the success of the first edition, this year’s ‘Apple Festival 2.0’ has been organised on a larger scale.
Expressing happiness over NABARD’s initiative, Minister Ganesh Joshi said the Apple Festival is a celebration of the hard work, innovation, and agri-entrepreneurship of apple growers in Uttarakhand. He said the festival symbolises the agricultural potential and self-reliance of the state’s farmers. The minister also suggested that NABARD include products from agriculture and horticulture departments in future editions of the festival.
Minister Joshi stated that NABARD has played a significant role in guiding agricultural and rural development in a hill state like Uttarakhand. The state government, he said, is focusing on agricultural diversification, promoting sectors such as horticulture, aromatic and medicinal plants, dairy, fisheries, sericulture, beekeeping, and mushroom cultivation, to encourage farmers to move beyond traditional crops toward high-value farming.
He stated that NABARD has provided grants worth Rs 20 crore to 138 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) across the state. Under 34 watershed and springshed projects, 11,164 hectares of land have been treated, benefiting 5,045 families. In addition, horticulture-based development programmes have helped establish orchards on 4,163 acres of land, featuring apples, kiwis, walnuts, mangoes, guavas, and other fruits.
Minister Joshi also mentioned that NABARD has initiated 20 innovative pilot projects based on various agricultural models, including organic product traceability, aquaponics, moringa-based integrated farming, farm tourism, natural farming, medicinal and aromatic plants, and zero-energy cool chambers. These initiatives aim to increase productivity, create rural livelihood opportunities, and promote environmental sustainability.
He added that NABARD is implementing a digital mapping project for organic farms involving 500 farmers in Haridwar district. The minister highlighted that 27 agricultural products from Uttarakhand have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags, of which 6 were achieved through NABARD’s efforts, while out of the 18 GI tags facilitated by the state government, 10 were obtained by NABARD-supported FPOs.
Minister Joshi expressed confidence that the state government will continue to strengthen farmer-centric policies, promote horticulture, and empower farmers and rural women through partnerships with institutions like NABARD. He said, “Apple Festival 2.0 represents our collective effort to establish Uttarakhand as a sustainable and prosperous agricultural state.”
Among those present on the occasion were Municipal Chairperson Meera Saklani, Chief General Manager Pankaj Yadav, General Manager Shashi Kumar, Deputy General Manager Sanjay Kumar, DGM (O) Nirmal Kumar, and several other dignitaries.
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