Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research at Namaghatta, Bangalore today.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said India has set a clear target of achieving self-reliance in the production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, asserting that imports in these sectors would no longer be necessary.
Outlining the government’s approach, the minister said, “Our target is simple. We will not import fruits, flowers, and vegetables. We have to become self-reliant in these areas.”
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while holding a review meeting at the Institute of Horticultural Research, said that the demand for flowers, vegetables and fruits is globally high and India should be Aatmanirbhar in the production of them. He said that research should be done in this regard.
The minister also took stock of the new varieties of fruits like mango, siphala, purple, apple, lemon, etc. For this, research needs to be done on more durable, refined fruit breeds. The Minister directed the horticultural authorities to conduct experiments and research on plants with climate change, viruses, bacteria and other anti-inflammatory properties.
Currently, foreign vegetables and fruit varieties are also grown in India and their experiments have been successful. Therefore, exports in this sector should be higher than imports. Training programmes for farmers should be conducted regularly. More funds will be provided for this, he said. Prior to the review meeting, he visited various varieties of fruits, vegetables and flower gardens in the area of the Horticultural Research Institute. He also interacted with the farmers.
