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TN to announce horticulture policy soon

L.N. Revathy

COIMBATORE, Aug. 9

In view of the high export potential of horticultural products, the Tamil Nadu Government is set to unveil a policy on horticulture soon.

Mr Surjit K. Chaudhary, State Commissioner for Horticulture and Plantation Crops, said realising the scope for horticulutral products, the State had even passed an order exempting corporate houses under the Land Ceiling Act for Horticulture Development.

``Horticulture is not a subsistence activity. It will be a flop if considered so. It is a business proposition,'' he said.

He spoke to Business Line when he was here to attend a two-day national level seminar on `Integrated development of tropical horticulture'. Excerpts from the interview:

How do you plan to take the State forward in horticulture?

Horticulture is a factory. Unless the crux of the problem is attended to immediately, the venture will not be profitable. Eco-friendly technologies should be popularised among the farming community with proper instructions for use, greater stress should be on the quality of the planting material, attention to environmental and social conditions, micro-irrigation practices, post harvest technology, packaging.

All this would go a long way in boosting the State's horticultural growth.

Compared to other States, Tamil Nadu has an location and its agro-climate is best suited for horticultural development. The substantial area of dry and fallow lands in the State can be brought under remunerative cultivation.

We are planning to conduct seminars at the district and village levels to disseminate the technologies and create an awareness. A seminar on spices and cashew is being planned at Nagercoil and Pudukottai next month. Last year, we had organised for amla a t Dindigul and for banana at Trichi and they have been very rewarding.

How confident are you about the success of these efforts?

It all depends on adoption of the techniques. Nothing is beyond our means. This is a slow, but `sure' way. There is ample scope for exploitation.

Considering that thousands of hectares of dryland are available for horticulture promotion, do you think quality planting material can be made available?

The planting material requirement will be rather high and this can be made available either through micropropagation or vegetative reproduction. At the end of the two day seminar, the delegates have recommended creation of a separate agency for certifyin g the vegetatively propagated planting material as also the need to impart training to persons engaged in production work.

Micropropagation methods would also have to be encouraged by establishment of tissue culture labs at district and village levels. There is a need to encourage private nurseries to take to largescale production of pedigree planting materials to meet such demand.

Where exactly are we as regards to agricultural development?

Despite the increase in production and productivity, the area under agriculture is witnessing a slow decline, which is an indication that the agricultural sector is not growing. Unless this sector grows, poverty and the disparity between the rich and the poor will not lessen. We have failed miserably in maintaining the quality of the produce, be it tea, coffee, rice, wheat, rubber, onion...

The need of the hour is to make judicious use of the available resources such as land and water. The quality of the planting material should not be discounted.

What about minor fruits?

There is a large scope for export of minor fruits as palmyrah, goose berry, bael, tamarind, jamun etc. Their promotion, therefore, is necessary.

On micro irrigation:

Based on the past research, it is clear that drip irrigation is technically feasible, economically viable and socially acceptable. Water is the main constraint in the development of horticulture.

Despite being a less labour intensive activity, why do you think horticulture has failed to take off in a big way?

The perishable nature of the produce, lack of cold storage and post-harvest technologies, weak market link are some of the reasons. But the National Horticulture Board (NHB) has now identified six areas for the establishment of cold storage chains and th e demarcation of these areas into `agriculture export zones (AEZs).

Do banks assist horticulture propositions?

The banks need to be enlightened about the various subsidy schemes implemented by NHB so that farmers are not deprived of its financial assistance.