Farmers of Jashpur are making a distinct identity in farming

Raipur May 23, 2026/ Jashpur has always been known for crop diversity. Farmers here are emphasizing horticultural and cash crops along with traditional crops. Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai is continuously encouraging farmers for horticultural and cash crops, considering the favorable environment for horticultural crops in Jashpur. Under the instructions of Chief Minister Shri Sai, the local district administration, NABARD and the Horticulture Department are making special efforts in this direction. Farmers are being provided special training and technical guidance for horticultural crops. Due to these coordinated efforts, in the last two and a half years, the farmers here have started taking interest in horticultural and cash crops in place of traditional crops. Farmers of Jashpur are now preparing apple orchards along with tea, litchi, strawberry, and pear. Jashpur has created a new identity in fruit production and horticulture due to the coordinated efforts of the District Administration, Horticulture Department, Rural Education and Development Society (REDS) and NABARD. These initiatives have strengthened the income of local farmers. The agriculture-based economy has been strengthened. Apple production started in Jashpur in the year 2023. Apple cultivation has now expanded to about 410 acres, with approximately 410 farmers cultivating apples. Apple trees planted in the blocks of Manora and Bagicha and in panchayats like Shaila, Chatauri, Kardana, and Chichhli have yielded fruits of excellent quality and size this year. Local farmers say that Jashpur apples are equivalent to apples from Kashmir and Himachal in terms of taste and quality. Chairman of Rural Development and Development Society, Shri Rajesh Gupta, informed that 410 farmers of Jashpur district are cultivating apples on their 1-1 acre of land. Similarly, pear orchards in the district are spread over about 3,500 acres, where more than 3,500 farmers are cultivating pears. Pear cultivation is happening in many areas of the district including Sanna, Pandrapath, Kanwai, Mahua, Sonkyari, Manora, Dhavai pai, Gidha. Pear is packed from here and sent to other states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha. The annual production of pears has reached about 1,75,000 quintals. Farmers are getting an annual income of about one to one and a half lakh rupees per acre from pears. According to horticulture department officials, there are schemes like training, technical support, and market access under the National Horticulture Mission, through which farmers have become self-reliant and are achieving economic empowerment through new crop diversification. Tea cultivation has been happening in Jashpur for a long time and the quality of the tea leaves here is good. Now, with the successful development of apple and pear production in Jashpur, Jashpur has not only established itself as a new market but has also brought about a significant improvement in the standard of living of the local farmers. There are plans to further expand the scope of these crops in the future.