Tomar lays foundation stone of Indo-Israel 'Centre of Excellence' for vegetables in UP

Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday laid the foundation stone of an Indo-Isreal 'Centre of Excellence' for vegetables in Chanduali district, the rice bowl of Uttar Pradesh.

After the virtual ceremony, Tomar said the government's intention is to ensure Chanduali, a leading district in paddy and wheat production, emerge better in vegetable production as well.

The climate of Chandauli district, known as the rice bowl of UP, is suitable for setting up the 'Centre of Excellence' for vegetables, he said.

At the Centre, Tomar said, ''seeds and plants of improved vegetables will be cultivated and distributed to the farmers. Farmers can also sponsor the development of plants for themselves.'' Farmers will be able to increase production of vegetables by using latest yield-improving methods of farming, he said in a statement.

Nursery of other agricultural produce including vegetables will be prepared at this facility to promote agriculture sector globally, he added.

There are nine agro-climatic zones in Uttar Pradesh, which are favourable for the cultivation of various horticultural crops throughout the year.

The minister said production of seedling of tomato, pepper, brinjal, chilli, cucumber and exotic vegetables is proposed to be done in the hi-tech climate controlled greenhouse to be set up at the centre.

That apart, cultivation of cucumber, cauliflowers, baby corn, sweet corn and exotic vegetables is proposed in the open field.

Along with micro-irrigation in the open, a trial demonstration of farming with fertigation and chemigation systems will be done. There will also be a demonstration of installation of seepage, sprinkler irrigation and other plastic culture applications, he added.

Tomar also said the farm sector needs to be rejuvenated in order to attract future generations towards farming.

Centres of Excellence (CoEs) are being set up in the states based on Israeli technologies. These centres act as demonstration and training centres for the latest technologies in the field of horticulture. They also serve as a source of planting material for fruits and vegetables in protected cultivation.

Currenlty, there are 29 fully operational centres of excellence across India providing vital information on emerging technologies in the agriculture sector to boost farmers' yield.

Under the Indo-Israel cooperation in the field of agriculture, the government's plan is to develop 75 villages of excellence in India to mark the country's 75th anniversary of Independence.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)