The Peach Bowl of Asia

Himachal Pradesh produces about Rs 5 crore worth of peaches every year and Rajgarh valley alone accounts for Rs 4 crore of the produce. It is no wonder, therefore, that Rajgarh is known as the Peach Bowl of Asia. The credit for turning this valley into a peach haven goes to the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Dr YS Parmar, who introduced peach orchards in the region, and to former diplomat TN Kaul who worked tirelessly to popularise them, says Ravi Bali, and adds that government initiative is now necessary to maintain Rajgarh’s growth graph.

RAJGARH is located in the heart of Sirmaur district in a lush green valley. It is the biggest subdivision of Sirmaur with a population of 76,509. Rajgarh has two subdivisions, one is Rajgarh itself and the other is Sarahan, another beautiful valley of Sirmaur. The total geographical area of Rajgarh is 810 sq km and 30 per cent of the total area is under forest. The total income from various sources, which includes sale of peaches, other stone fruits and vegetables, is about Rs 32 crore. This also includes income from wood sold through the HP State Forest Corporation in Rajgarh valley, which is Rs 2 crore.