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The western Himalayan region stretches over the states ofjammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. There is great variation in its topography. The average temperature ofjuly varies between 5°C and 30°C, while the January temperature reads between 15°C to -5°C. The mean annual rainfall varies between 75 cm to 150 cm except Ladakh where it is below 20 cm. The valley of Kashmir, Kullu, and Dun have thick alluvial soils while the hills and mountains have thin cover of brown soils. This region has perennial rivers, some of which are utilised for irrigation and hydel-power generation.
Rice, maize, wheat, barley, oilseeds, pulses, potato, and vegetables are the main crops of this region. Temperate fruits like apples, peach, pears, almond, apricot, walnut, etc. are the source of cash for the cultivators. Though the geographical conditions of this region are well suited for orchards and plantation crops, there is a need of improvement in the old less productive varieties of fruits.
A more judicious land use planning is required for the region. Land should be rationally allotted for cultivation of crops, horticulture, pastures, and forestry. Better quaEty of seeds and planting materials should be made available for growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, saffron, ginger, and potato.