The state government intends to adopt high quality fruit plants to be cultivated by adopting modern technology for better plant health and productivity, stated by the Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi who is heading a delegation to Australia to study modern technology for growing fruit plants on a large scale in the state.
The Horticulture Minister is accompanied by Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Mohan Lal Brakta, Director, Horticulture, Sandeep Kadam and two other officers experts in the field. He said that at present, most of the fruit plants in the state were brought up through traditional methods besides being imported from other parts of the country.
In the absence of modern technology, plants are susceptible to many diseases. Taking this in consideration, the team would study the modern techniques being adopted for plant health management in Australia such as screening, testing, cleaning and maintenance of exotic plants and other latest methodologies which will help the horticulturists to enhance their income.
Discussions were also scheduled with the Chief Plant Health Officer of the State of Victoria and the Strawberry Industry Certification Authority (VSICA). The delegation is likely to visit and discuss the nursery registration program at Elizabeth Agricultural Institute laboratories in Sydney and at the state-of-the-art fruit nurseries.
Sh. Negi said that this tour would help in bringing Australian technology to Himachal Pradesh and the horticulturists of the state will also be able to establish modern laboratories to prepare high quality plants. The tour is being run by ADB in collaboration with the Government of India under the Healthy Plant Program.
The team of the Asian Development Bank and the senior officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, GoI, are also a part of the tour.