Govt signs USD 130 mln loan with ADB for horticulture promotion in Himachal

New Delhi [India], June 12 : The Centre and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a USD 130 million loan to increase agricultural productivity, improve access to irrigation and promote horticulture agribusinesses to raise farmers' income in Himachal Pradesh.

The signatories to the Himachal Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value Addition Project were Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, for the Government of India, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, for ADB.

The project will help increase the income and climate resilience in at least 15,000 farm households across seven districts Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmour, Solan, and Una. Many households in the region have stopped farming or have reduced their farming areas because of a lack of irrigation facilities and crop damage by wild and stray animals.

The project will improve on-farm irrigation and water management in about 6,000 hectares of farmland by rehabilitating or building new irrigation schemes.