Israel has set the trends to achieve this goal. The new ways will not only boost the cultivation of cash crops but will also promote agro-based industry.

In this context, I visited Israel during Nov. 96 on invitation of M/s Maharal, Ronit and Ofer, renowned farmers in the field of flower growing and agriculture products, with the object of gaining know how and application of the advanced techniques to promote agriculture.

I have also the first hand experience of undertaking a massive programme for the cultivation of industrial and medicinal plants on an area of more than 500 acres in Kukanet and Dharampur villages of Hoshiarpur District of Punjab. This was a real success story of converting the undeveloped land into a profitable agriculture venture. After having raised the nurseries for poplar at Pinjore and Piarewala (Haryana) we set up an orchard of Mango, Litchi and Chickoo over an area of 15 acres, besides raising a vegetable seed farm covering about 10 acres of land at Pinjore (Haryana). In addition to this, the traditional crops like wheat, rice, sunflower etc. are also being grown on a sizeable chunk of land.

My experience has also been enriched from a Agro Research Farm at Baragaon on the Kullu-Manali highway. As an experimental measure, efforts are being made to raise nurseries under natural conditions for Strawberry, Celery, Chicory and some other exotic plants at above mentioned farm with the objective of further transplantation of such plants in plains. Cultivation of off-season vegetables and cash crops including the high value crop like Saffron for the first time in Manali area was another feather to the cap in the plantation programme.

Our Research and Development (R & D) team of agriculture scientists surveyed various agriculture universities of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Jammu and U. P.. Their mission was to know about the relevant research and other choices of type of plants to be grown, and suitable Land Use System to be adopted. After proper experimentation, R & D wing identified Amla as main crop along with other marketable medicinal plants for Kukanet and Dharampur villages of Hoshiarpur District.

Introduction of Amla crop on an area of about 300 acres and medicinal plants like Ashwa-gandha, Sarp-gandha, Akarkra, Occimum, Asparagus, Piper-longum and Lemon grass on an area of 200 acres through inter-cropping system was done. We adopted at Kukanet and Dharampur the State-of-art technology (“”SALT”- LAND USE SYSTEM) that was a major step towards propagation and promotion of Amla culture in Kandi areas of Punjab and nearby Shivalik hills. This has induced the farmers of Kandi and adjoining areas of Punjab to go in for plantation of Amla and medicinal plants.

The plantation programme provided employment and self-employment opportunity to the rural peasants of the area and improved their economy in due course. There is a great market potential for Amla and Herbs. The Kandi area is sub-mountainous, sub-tropical and semi-arid with fertile soil is most suitable for cultivation of industrial plants like Amla, Neem, Khair, Harer, Bahera etc. It is a natural repository for medicinal plants.

However to begin with, we undertook the cultivation of Amla as the main crop. In order to ensure success of massive plantation of Amla, plant material of improved cultivars like, NA-6, NA-IO, NA- 7, Francis, Kanchan, Krishna and Chakaiya had been arranged from the State Nursery of UP at Pratapgarh and N.D. Agriculture University, Faizabad (UP). Arrangements for systematised transplantation were also made at Kukanet and Dharampur. Top working on indigenous root stock was done with the plant material of the improve cultivars.

The Research and Development team, on the other hand, undertook the soil tests and raised a fascinating nursery of herbs and selected medicinal plants for multiplication of seed material at Kukanet. Massive programme for cultivation of herbs and medicinal plants was undertaken as inter-cropping with Amla.

The people benefited from this kind of agriculture are the rural masses belonging to agrarian section. In fact whole Kandi region had been declared backward area of state due to unproductive land status and lack of nursery and other facilities like transportation, communication, infrastructure and means of livelihood.

Being sub-mountainous region with no facility for irrigation, traditional agriculture was totally dependent upon rain, with poor farm yields. Planting of industrial cash crops, herbs suited to the agro-ecology of the region under scientifically designed land use system not only ushered in an era of green revolution in this sub-tropical part of the state, but also definitely helped the hapless villagers to improve their lot.

The state, in addition, had been enriched with valuable plant wealth for export with added benefit of over all development of the Kandi area.