Himachal Pradesh holds National Stone Fruit Conference at Thanadhar

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 6 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh's National Stone Fruit Conference was successfully organised at Thanadhar in Shimla district, jointly hosted by the Stone Fruit Growers Association, the Department of Horticulture, and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
The conference brought together policymakers, scientists, fruit growers, and other stakeholders to discuss strategies for strengthening, diversifying, and sustaining the stone fruit economy as a viable alternative and complement to apple cultivation.
Revenue, Horticulture, Tribal Development, and Public Grievances Minister Jagat Singh Negi, who presided over the event as the chief guest, said horticulture is the "lifeline" of farmers in Himachal's hill regions. He emphasised that the time has come to promote the scientific cultivation of stone fruits, alongside apples, to make the state's horticultural economy more stable and prosperous.
Negi said the state government is committed to supporting stone fruit cultivation through policy measures, training, research, and marketing infrastructure. He emphasised the need to adopt high-density plantation systems to achieve higher productivity on limited land. "Countries like New Zealand are producing high-quality fruits on limited land. Himachal too must move in that direction," he added.

He pointed out that the biggest challenge lies in ensuring the availability of high-quality planting material. "Until we produce quality plants within the state, we cannot fully benefit from high-density technology," he remarked.
Negi informed the gathering that the government has recently signed an MoU with an Italian company to produce 50,000 high-density saplings to address the shortage of quality plants.
Negi directed the Horticulture Department to organise similar conferences periodically to educate farmers about high-density cultivation and quality fruit production. He also expressed special gratitude to Deepak Singha for his significant role in organising the event. Praising Thanadhar's rich fruit-growing legacy, he said hosting this conference marks the beginning of a "new era of stone fruit revolution" in Himachal.
Special guest Kuldeep Singh Rathore stated that such conferences provide an important platform for farmers, scientists, and policymakers to collaborate on the overall development of the horticulture sector. He urged scientists to conduct field trials and offer practical advice directly to growers. Rathore said the Thanadhar conference would prove to be a milestone in the state's horticultural development.
During the technical sessions, experts discussed modern cultivation practices for stone fruits, including climate-resilient varieties, disease prevention, post-harvest management, processing, value-added strategies, and marketing approaches. Scientists also presented research on adapting new horticultural technologies and varieties in response to climate change.
An exhibition was organised alongside the conference, featuring stalls by the Horticulture Department and various companies. The stalls showcased improved varieties of stone fruits and demonstrated technological innovations in cultivation and processing.
Those who addressed the gathering included Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni; Vinay Singh, Director of Horticulture; C. Paulrasu, Secretary, Horticulture; and Sanjay Mehta, Director, Himachal Farmer Producer Company Limited.
Technical sessions featured presentations by Vijay Stokes (Retired Professor, IIT Kanpur, and grandson of horticulture pioneer Satyanand Stokes), Deepak Singha (President, Stone Fruit Growers Association), Dinesh Thakur, Neena Chauhan, Manika Tomar, Jayant Sharma, Arvindra, Gaurav Shukla, Manish Agarwal, Karan Sikri, and Ram Kumar Singh.
International experts, including Eshan Jayawardene, Manager (Business Plan Implementation), Ministry of Primary Industries, New Zealand, and Ivan Antonio Benavento, Head-Asia Pacific, Scientific Naturals, Spain, shared insights on ongoing collaborative programs in stone fruit production with India.
Among those present were former Theog MLA Rakesh Singha, Thanadhar Gram Panchayat Pradhan Sanjeev, and a large number of fruit growers and farmers from across the state.
The conference concluded with a call for greater collaboration between farmers, scientists, and policymakers to make stone fruit cultivation a strong pillar of Himachal's horticultural economy. (ANI)