Minister for Horticulture, Abdul Rehman Veeri has directed the horticulture department to go ahead with the establishment of two Centers of Excellence in two capital cities of the State. He said the elite Centers would come up at a cost of Rs 200 million ($3 million USD).
The State has sought the expertise of Netherlands for establishment of Centers of Excellence under horticulture sector and the DPRs in this regard have been formulated by the government with the consultation of Dutch experts.
The senior horticulture expert of Netherlands gave a presentation and opined that J&K needs to exploit its tremendous horticulture potential on scientific basis to increase the quality fruit produce.
The minister said establishment of two Centers of Excellence in Horticulture sector under Indo-Dutch Action Plan will sensitize the fruit growers about high-quality plants, micro-irrigation, high-tech greenhouse technology, tissue culture and weather forecasting.
The Horticulture Minister said that government’s endeavor is to give fresh impetus to the horticulture sector in the State and has taken some innovative measures to be implemented gradually. Veeri said government would also establish Model villages for apple, mango, kin now and apricot fruits in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh Divisions respectively.
