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Sikkim is the natural home for about 475 species of orchids found
in various climatic condition from warm and humid hills to snow
peaks. Therefore, agro-climatic condition of Sikkim is suitable
for growing varieties of orchid as well as temperate flowers like
Lillylium, Antherium, Carnation, Gerbera, Glaxonia, Gladiolus,
Begonia, Ornamental foliage, ferns and host of other flower
varieties.
Over 80% of the population of Sikkim directly or indirectly
depends on farming activities. The development measures of the
“GREEN REVOLUTION’ implemented in other Indian States were not
successful in the Himalayan Region, because adequate fertilizer
were never available on time, irrigation could not be developed
and soil are very fragile. Population growth and consequent
fragmentation of farm land in Sikkim has cost reduction in per
capita holdings. This reduction has forced farmers to cultivate
cash crops such as potato, ginger and mandarin orange, which have
cost rapid nutrient depletion of the soil. Instead, production of
another cash crop, Large Cardamom a plant native to the Sikkim
Himalaya has been a boon to the people of Sikkim. Large Cardamom
is a perennial cash crop grown beneath the forest cover on
marginal land. Hence, it is well fitted in the agro-forestry
system of land use. Thus the cardamom plantation has a
considerable contribution towards preservation and protection of
forest cover in Sikkim. This is the crop grown without the use of
chemical fertilizer and pesticides. It is therefore, the total
cardamom produced of Sikkim is pure organic. Apart from its
high-income value and low demand in labour, large cardamom is also
a low value and non-perishable crop. This is a great advantage in
an area where accessibility and transportation are restricted.
Unlike farming system based on high input the existing crops
production in Sikkim hills are unique and full fills the concept
of integrated plant nutrient system. The cattle waste, forest
litter, green leaves of trees and crop residues are the organic
inputs to supplement the mineral fertilizer requirement of crops
to obtain the desire yield level.
In the Sikkim hills farmers considers crop land not as a discrete
independent system but as a sub-system of complex eco-system
consisting of crop lands, Animal Husbandry, Forest and Human
beings.
Remoteness, inaccessibility difficult terrain, fragile eco-system,
environment risk and uncertainty are the measure barriers in the
farm production system operating with the low external inputs in
Sikkim Hills.
The farming is rain fed, use of mineral fertilizer in the hills
practically nil and FYM and compost are use as measure source of
nutrient to support crop production.
The principal horticultural crops grown in Sikkim include Large
Cardamom, ginger, turmeric, oranges, apple, pear, off-season
vegetables flowers like gladiolus, orchids, lilies, gerbera,
carnation, antherium for both cut flowers and planting materials.
Large Cardamom occupies the largest area of about 24 thousand
hectares of total cropped area.
Ginger is the very important cash crop of Sikkim. It is grown by
all section of farmers including tenants, sharecropper, and small
marginal SC and ST farmers. Approximately 15 to 20 thousand tones
of good quality ginger is annually produced and marketed outside
the State. The ginger available in Sikkim is less fibrous with
high moisture content and suitable for manufacture of ginger
products like preserve, candy, crystallized ginger, ginger
biscuits and so on.
Since spices like ginger and cardamom are available in adequate
quantity in Sikkim, it may be possible to establish an oil and
oleoresin extraction unit. The end users of oil and oleoresin will
be the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, beverage processing, and
perfume and fragrance industries. A study on oil extraction of
cardamom has been already done under Indo-Swiss Project Sikkim and
information is available. It is reported that the Large Cardamom
oil is comparable to the small cardamom oil.
To support the horticultural crop production in Sikkim Indo-Swiss
Project is operating. The areas of intervention by the ISPS
Project are a) ginger disease management, b) to improve the
quality of cardamom by developing improve curing system and c)
development of marketing for horticultural produce.
Under the ISPS Project through the consultancy service of TERI a
technology called “Gasifier System of Cardamom Curing” has been
developed. To make available the system to the cardamom growers a
fabrication unit of the gassifier system is required to be set up.
The existing practice of grading and packing in gunny bags needs
to be replaced with marketing of cardamom with polishing, grading
and packing with a presentable form.
Among the fruits grown in Sikkim Orange is the important crop in
respect of area and production. The orange industry in Sikkim is
suffering a set back because of the dieback disease. To revive the
crop we have initiated rejuvenation programme supported by the
re-plantation scheme, with budded plants on trifoliate and rang
pur lime rootstock. The planting materials are being produced both
in Government farms and farmers field under the supervision of
Horticulture Officers. The other fruits grown are apple, pears,
litchi and passion fruits.
There is good scope of seed production of various vegetables like
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, peas etc. We are prepared
to tag up with private firms having expertise in seed production
to take up joint venture project on vegetable seed production. The
share of the State Government may be in the form of land and
manpower both skilled and unskilled.
Sikkim grows a special chilly locally known as ‘Dalle Khorsani’.
It has good aroma with considerable pungency. Efforts are being
made to tag with private firms for setting up processing unit.
THE CURRENT STATUS AND POTENTIALITY OF THE IMPORTANT HORTICULTURE
CROPS IS GIVEN BELOW:
|
SL. |
UNIT |
CROPS |
PRODUCTION |
PRODUCTION |
|
No |
|
|
ON 31.03.2001 |
POTENTIAL |
|
1. |
000’T |
Cardamom |
3.60 |
5.00 |
|
2. |
000’T |
Ginger |
20.00 |
40.00 |
|
3. |
|
Fruits |
10.00 |
20.00 |
|
4. |
000’T |
Vegetables |
20.00 |
50.00 |
|
5. |
000’T |
Potato |
24.00 |
40.00 |
|
6. |
000’T |
Turmeric |
0.60 |
10.00 |
|
7. |
000 |
Flowers |
|
|
|
|
|
a. Cut Flowers |
Nos 500 |
Nos 3000 |
|
|
|
b. Planting Material |
1000 |
3000 |
With large number of educated persons coming out who will look for
a lucrative and decent profession, floriculture is likely to be an
alternative. The important flowers, which are already adopted, are
gladiolus, carnation, gerbera, orchids and zanthadesia. The
effective boost under the floriculture program has been with the
extension of CSS. The Namli Farm was declared as Model
Floriculture Centre under CSS for production and distribution of
flower seeds and planting materials.
A joint venture agreement with M/s Natsyn
Flora, Chennai, has been signed for production of cut flowers of
cymbidium orchids for export. Under the project the cut flowers
production is anticipated to start by 2005.
Sikkim suffers from horticulture research
backup, as there is no Agriculture College or University with the
exception of ICAR sub-center and Spices Board. The facilities
available with these institutions are being utilized for the
benefit of the State. In addition to this department of
Horticulture has initiated research work on ginger disease
management and cardamom curing with Indo-Swiss Project. Adaptive
trials of the horticulture crops in the Government farms and also
in farmers field.
The upgrading knowledge and skill of
Horticulture manpower in various fields are being fulfilled by
providing them training within the State by inviting resource
person from outside or by sending them for higher studies leading
to degree/diploma in specialized field.
Crop production technology are being
transferred to the farmers field through a system of training,
audio-visual aids, printed materials, group meeting, field days,
exhibition, crop competition conducted tours, exposure trips
including field demonstration and group discussions.
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