Stories
Himachal Farmer Installs Monorail in Orchard to Transport Apples
- •Sunil Chauhan, a progressive orchardist from Shimla district, installed a 100-meter-long monorail system in his apple orchard.
- •The monorail features a nine-horsepower engine imported from Guangzhou, China, and can carry up to 500 kilograms of apples at a time on 45-degree slopes.
- •The entire setup cost approximately Rs 4.20 lakh, which included a Rs 50,000 government subsidy.
- •This innovative technology aims to solve labor shortages and ease the difficult task of transporting apple boxes in hilly terrain.
Key Questions Answered
The total cost to set up the 100-meter monorail system was approximately Rs 4.20 lakh, which included a government subsidy of Rs 50,000. Powered by a nine-horsepower engine, the system can carry about 500 kilograms of apples at a time and operate on slopes up to 45 degrees.
The engine and track for the monorail system installed in the orchard located in Dhangwi village, Kotkhai area of Shimla district, were imported from Guangzhou, China.
A horticultural monorail project is currently underway in the Palohta-2 cluster located in Sundernagar, Mandi district, with the support of the Asian Development Bank. Construction and testing of a 300-meter-long track have already been completed, with plans to expand it to about one kilometer in the first phase.
