Apple Festival In Himachal Pradesh: Just What The Doctor Ordered

Apple Festival In Himachal Pradesh: Just What The Doctor Ordered

Any state can only prosper if it plays to it strength. A pill needed to cure negative growth in states is the dedication to capitalise on these strengths. Bearing this in mind, the recent Apple Festival held in Himachal Pradesh is a step in the right direction. The Himachal Pradesh State Tourism Department has just launched an Apple Festival for the promotion of locally produced apples. The festival also aims to display apple based products to tourists.

The Tourism department is also making plans to take the tourists to apple orchards for giving them a a complete and real understanding of the processes involved in picking the apples as well as packaging, promoting and marketing them. A competition has also been conducted for farmers breeding exotic apple varieties. Many local hotels and chains of food stores have also promoted their apple and apple based goods at stalls put up during the festival.

Besides promoting tourism, initiatives such as the Apple Festival are also intended to promote and improve the visibility of the horticulture industry of this state. Tourism as well as horticulture are major revenue pullers for this state and apple is also a vital horticultural product.

The Apple Festival has been intended for tourists coming to the state for a visit at the commencement of Navratra and Durga Puja. The hill economy also rides on its homegrown apple industry, the State Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes was quoted by the media as saying. She added that hundreds of different varieties of the fruit are to be put on display so tourists can learn all about them.

Himachal Pradesh's state government is also looking to export high quality apples. Farmers of this hill state have been provided to grow high quality apples which would be favoured in the global market. Stalls organised during the festival sold apple based products such as apple pies, caramel apples and apple juices to name just a few. Apart from this, other products such as apple cookies, beverages and smoothies as well as breads and desserts were also being sold and promoted at these stalls.

Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh State Tourism Board has been quoted as saying “Our main objective is to promote Himachal horticulture industry.” The Chairman, Vijai Singh Makotia also indicated that the department is to celebrate World Tourism Day on September 27 to 28 through an air show by the defence forces along with the Apple festival and other important programmes.

Rural home stay schemes are also being run in this mountainous state for generating tourism revenue. State governments have the most important role to play in development. They have to bring about advancement and progress of the state through new initiatives. Only then can the economy grow and prosper to a point where good days are here for all Indians.