BENGALURU: The horticulture department will take crop research findings to farmers in all districts to ensure good yields and a boost in farm incomes, said Horticulture Minister R Shankar here on Wednesday.
In this context, he said researchers have created a new variety of pomegranate which has more iron and nutrition content.
Similarly, farmers can now grow more onions per acre with the new variety. But all this and more is not known to all farmers and even lesser known to consumers. So to ensure that farmers and consumers benefit, more such fairs should be held in all zillas, Shankar said at the National Horticulture Fair 2021.
Though guavas are a very healthy fruit for diabetics and other patients, since many also have dental issues, they do not eat it. But here at the horticulture fair, there is a new variety in which the seeds are very tender, he said.Shankar said not just availability of horticultural crops, but even their production should be eased for all farmers. All measures will also be taken to ensure that hybrid varieties are easily available in the market, he said.
He said he would ask the government to include subsidy for seed procurement even for horticultural crops in the Budget so that more farmers benefit and also ensure availability of solar panels and solar vending machines.The horticulture fair, which kick-started on February 8, is on till February 12.
Due to the pandemic, for the first time, farmers are not just physically participating in the fair, organised by ICAR- IIHR, but are also virtually attending it. At the fair, MoUs were signed between farmers and four firms.