Garlic cultivation in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district has reportedly increased from 1,500 hectares in 2015-16 to approximately 4,000 hectares, with production levels reaching 60,000 metric tons. This development was highlighted at a seminar on 'Garlic seed production and value addition for enhancing farmers' income in district Sirmaur,' held at Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF) in Nauni, Solan district.
Narender Bharat, head of the Department of Seed Science and Technology, noted that since 2015-16, the university has been engaged in promoting spice cultivation through demonstrations, seed production, technology transfer, and infrastructure development. "The initiative promotes commercial cultivation of spices like garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and fenugreek," he stated.
The program facilitates annual panchayat-level training and district-level seminars. It was noted that about Rs 60 crore (US$7.2 million) is annually invested in procuring garlic seeds from other regions such as Jammu and Kashmir. As Vice Chancellor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel pointed out, garlic's designation as 'One District, One Crop' offers potential for increasing farmers' incomes.
Chandel emphasized challenges such as market oversupply and price drops. He encouraged collaboration for local seed production to minimize external dependencies and suggested exploring garlic oil extraction and radiation technology for improved shelf life.
Director (Research) Sanjeev Chauhan advocated for modern scientific methods to enhance garlic quality and productivity, stressing cost reduction and the importance of Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) for market access. Topics such as seed production and plant protection are set for discussion, with demonstrations on value-added garlic products. An exhibition of local garlic varieties is also organized under the MIDH scheme, with about 100 growers participating.
Source: Znews