‘Horticulture policy among 24 programmes announced in 100-day action plan’

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture, Horticulture, Diary Development and Fisheries minister Gabriel Denwang Wangshu Tuesday informed that framing of the state horticulture policy is one of the 24 major announcements made by the state Cabinet under the 100 days action plan.

The first cabinet meeting of the Pema Khandu government on June 13 made 24 major announcements under its 100 days action plan. The target for framing of the state horticulture policy has been kept by September this year and drafting of the policy is under process, the minister told reporters here.

“One of the objectives of the policy is to provide a roadmap for the state’s self-reliance in producing disease-free and high-quality planting materials (QPM) through certified nurseries and plant tissue culture,” the minister said.

The comprehensive policy will guide the government decisions, plans and programmes for achieving the desired outputs and outcomes, Wangshu added.

The minister informed that Further, the horticulture department is preparing an action plan for providing incentives to large cardamom farmers to encourage them to replant large cardamom plantations.

With sustained efforts, the state is slated to be the top producer of large cardamom in the country soon, he said adding, at present Arunachal Pradesh is the second largest producer after Sikkim.

Wangshu added that three large cardamom nurseries at Khonsa in Tirap district, Metengliang in Anjaw and Mariyang in Siang district of the state, are being developed under the technical and financial support from the Calicut-based Directorate of Arecanut and Spice Development (DASD) and the union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ministry. He said the government has taken several steps to address the issue of quality planting materials in the state.

“The department has established the Kiwi Research & Development Centre (KRDC) at Ziro in Lower Subansiri district and Orange Research & Development Centre (ORDC) at Balek in Lower Dibang Valley district under the State Horticulture Research and Development Institute (SHRDI),” he said.

A plant tissue culture laboratory at the state horticulture farm at Shergaon in West Kameng district is in an advanced stage of completion. The facility will enable bulk production of disease-free quality planting materials within a short period, the minister added.

Post entry quarantine (PEQ) facility for horticulture plants has been established under the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH) regional station at Dirang in West Kameng district, Wangshu said.

This facility will be useful for regulating the phytosanitary standards of temperate plants imported into the state by ensuring pest and disease-free planting materials, he pointed out.

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