Vinod Kumar, a horitculturist in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, is pleased with the 40 sq mt polyhouse on his farm.
He believes the polyhouse has provided him with the option of diversifying into agricultural crops - he is growing capsicum inside the polyhouse.
A polyhouse is a protective shade made of polythene used for growing high value agricultural products.
The temperature, humidity and ventilation are controlled by equipment installed inside and crops grown in it are therefore protected from unfavourable weather.
"I am planning to have many more such polyhouses on the farm, as it provides an opportunity to cultivate crops that would suffer if subjected to the vagaries of the weather," he says.
Kumar is one of many farmers in Himachal who are looking to reap the benefit of installing polyhouses on their land, under a Nabard-assisted scheme launched by the state government.
The scheme requires the farmer to pay just 20 per cent of the cost of a polyhouse while 80 per cent is subsidised.
The Rs 353 crore (Rs 3.53 billion) Deen Dayal Kisan Samridhi Kisan Yojna, launched in 2008 by the state government, aims to uplift the social status of farmers and simultaneously is an attempt at crop diversification.
While the Rs 154.92 crore (Rs 1.54 billion) first phase of the project lays emphasis on production of cash crops by adopting precision farming practices through polyhouse cultivation, the Rs 198.09 crore (Rs 1.98 billion) second phase provides for diversification of agriculture through micro-irrigation and other related infrastructure.
A report of the state agriculture department says that farmers across the state are growing high-value crops like capsicum, tomato, cucumber and leafy vegetables through the adoption of greenhouse/polyhouse technology.
While productivity of polyhouse-grown crops is four to 10 times higher and the quality of produce is better, the incidence of pests and diseases is low with better management.
Himachal Pradesh is strong in horticulture, and the productivity of vegetable crops is on the low side. Given that it is a hill state, the net sown area is less than 10 per cent of the total geographical area.
The state government aims to increase the contribution of vegetables to the gross state domestic product (GSDP) through the implementation of the polyhouse scheme.
State agriculture officials said that before the launch of the scheme the contribution of vegetables to GSDP was five per cent, and it has now increased to seven-nine per cent.
The state government believes that the main advantage of having polyhouses is that it would provide self-employment avenues to the youth and the rural population.
Also, the aim is to create a supply of fresh vegetables to big markets like Delhi as well as foreign countires.
