- Emphasis is being given on horticulture and cash crops instead of traditional crops.
- After tea, pear, litchi, strawberry, now trying their hand at apple farming
Jashpur has always been known for its crop diversity. Farmers here are emphasizing horticulture and cash crops in addition to traditional crops. Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai, noting the favorable environment for horticulture in Jashpur, has been continuously encouraging farmers to cultivate horticulture and cash crops. Following Chief Minister Shri Sai’s instructions, the local district administration, NABARD, and the Horticulture Department are making special efforts in this direction. Farmers are being provided specialized training and technical guidance in horticulture crops. Due to these coordinated efforts, in the last two and a half years, farmers here have shifted their interest from traditional crops to horticulture and cash crops. Jashpur farmers are now cultivating apple orchards, along with tea, litchi, strawberries, and pears.
Through the coordinated efforts of the district administration, the Horticulture Department, the Rural Education and Development Society ( READS ), and NABARD, Jashpur has established a new identity in fruit production and horticulture. These initiatives have strengthened the income of local farmers and bolstered the agriculture-based economy.
Apple production in Jashpur started in the year 2023. Apple cultivation is now spread over approximately 410 acres, in which approximately 410 farmers are cultivating apples. Apple trees planted in the district’s Manor and Bagicha development blocks and panchayats like Shaila, Chhatauri, Kardana and Chhichhli have produced fruits of excellent quality and size this year. Local farmers say that Jashpur apples are at par with Kashmir and Himachal apples in terms of taste and quality. Mr. Rajesh Gupta, President of Rural Development and Development Society, said that 410 farmers of Jashpur district are cultivating apples on their 1-acre land.
Similarly, pear orchards in the district are spread over approximately 3,500 acres, where more than 3,500 farmers are cultivating pears. Lakhs of pears are being cultivated in Sanna, Pandarapath, Kanwai, Mahua, Sonkaryari, Manora, Dhawaipai, Geedha etc. of the district. From here, pears are packed and sent to other states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. The annual production of pears has reached approximately 1,75,000 quintals. Farmers are getting an annual income of approximately one to one and a half lakh rupees per acre from pears.
According to officials of the Horticulture Department, under the National Horticulture Mission, there are schemes like training, technical support and market access, due to which farmers are becoming self-reliant and achieving economic empowerment through new crop diversification.
Tea cultivation has long been practiced in Jashpur, and the quality of the tea leaves is excellent. Now, the successful development of apple and pear production in Jashpur has not only established Jashpur as a new market but has also significantly improved the living standards of local farmers. There are plans to further expand these crops in the future.