Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 12
IN A significant follow-up to the Human Resource Development Ministry approving Rs 485 crores to Nagaland University for the establishment of two upscale management institutions, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, Government of India today gave approval for establishment of a Central Institute of Horticulture at Medziphema Campus, Nagaland, at a cost of Rs 20 crore. The development comes in the wake of assurances given by the Finance committee meeting which was held on January 6 at the Lumami Campus NU as reported earlier in this paper.
Reports reaching from New Delhi informed that Finance Minister P Chidambaram envisaged that out of Rs 20 crore, Rs 8.35 crore would be spent during the remaining two years of the Tenth Plan and Rs 11.65 crore from the first three years of Eleventh Plan.
The new Central Government scheme is meant to support horticulture development in North East region through capacity building by training of trainers, extension officers, farmers, entrepreneurs, processors and exporters.
The institute would facilitate demonstration of improved technologies such as use of improved varieties/ hybrids, adoption of Integrated Nutrition Management/ Integrated Pest Management practices, high tech farming, precision farming, protected cultivation, post harvest technology and so on, he said
Following extension support in the field of horticulture, the institute would promote organic cultivation of crops and establish convergence and synergy among programmes in the field of horticulture research and development. It would also monitor centrally-sponsored programmes in the area of horticulture, Chidambaram said.
All this would help in providing technological support and guidance to promote horticulture through large-scale adoption of production technologies, proper post harvest management including processing and marketing, he added.
(with inputs from UNI)
