Shimla, Mar 31: With the onset of spring season, farmers in hill towns of Himachal Pradesh are happy as the cherry blossom season begings attracting more tourists .
Places like Bhutti, Kumarsan, Kotgarh, Kandyali and Narkanda have came alive, dotted with hundreds of white flowers blossoming on cherry trees.
Nearly 2,000 hectares of land in Himachal Pradesh are under cherry cultivation.
A cherry farmer, Sudhir Chauhan said, the cherry blossom season has a lot of potential to attract tourists when the flowers are in full bloom.
“Tourist nowadays would enjoy this place a lot, as the cherries are at the peak of its flowering. Cherry blossoms are in full speed. We are expecting a lot of tourists that would further benefit the farmers. The tourists would enjoy seeing the cherry flowers,” said Chauhan.
Rajinder Rathore, a cherry grower, demanded that the state government should come forward to boost productivity.
“We would like the state government and tourism department organise fairs and events at the time of flowering, so that the tourists can visit and see”, said Rathore.
Cherry cultivation is gaining popularity in Himachal Pradesh, as the traditionally apple-growing farmers find it a profitable alternative to other cash crops.
In Shimla district, Narkanda, Kandyali, Kotgarh-Kumarsen, Rampur, Rohru, and Kotkhai are the main areas of cherry cultivation.
