CHANDIGARH: Himachal Pradesh, the country’s fruit basket, witnessed a decline in fruit production in the 2017-2018 financial year, stated the Economic Survey report which was tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday.
The report tabled by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur showed that in 2017-2018, the fruit production slumped from 6.12 lakh tones in 2016 to 5 lakh tonnes in 2017. As for apples, which constitute 85 per cent of fruit basket, 4.28 lakh tonnes were produced in 2017 against 4.68 lakh tonnes in 2016.
Likewise, there was a decline in foodgrain production. In 2016-17, the anticipated foodgrain production was 17.45 lakh tonne against the achieved production of 16.34 lakh tonne in 2015-16. For this fiscal, the target is 16.45 lakh tonne.
Growth rate, too, in the last three years has been below the national rate. The economic growth is expected to be 6.3 per cent this financial year and its per capita income is estimated at Rs 1,58,462.
The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at current prices in 2016-17 increased to Rs 124,236 crore from Rs 113,355 crore in 2015-16 and as per advance estimates it is likely to be about Rs 133,914 crore in this fiscal stated the state's Economic Survey 2017-18.
However, there has been an improvement in the tourism sector, stated the report. Himachal attracted 196.02 lakh tourists last year, 2.9 times of its population.