Scenic Kullu valley is notorious for the cannabis cultivation. Every year several police complaints were being filed and many locals and foreigners caught smuggling. The state government has time and again tried to dissuade local from cultivating cannabis, but because of high remuneration from cannabis cultivation its entire endeavors had so far fallen flat.
To dissuade locals from cannabis cultivation now the Palampur Agricultural University has decided to play an active role to provide alternative remunerative crops to the farmers.
A scientific advisory committee meeting of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of Agriculture University at Bajaura in Kullu district in second week of December, Dr. K.K. Katoch, Vice-Chancellor, said the university has constituted a committee which will visit Malana and all such remote areas where cannabis was being grown and after a detailed study will provide not only high value medicinal crops to the farmers.
The committee will also give a policy document to the government for appropriate decisions.
The hilly Kullu valley has become happy hunting grounds for the cultivation of cannabis and opium, and as per the official records a huge chunk of private and forest land has been under cannabis cultivation in the valley.
With the increasing pressure from the police, now, locals with the help of migrating laborers were cultivating cannabis in deep inside the jungles of the valley. Despite tall claims of the Government area under cannabis cultivation is increasing every year.
