Agriculture and horticulture experts have opposed the State government’s proposal to set up a university for horticulture in Bagalkot and instead stressed the need for the setting up new horticulture colleges and to improve infrastructure in the existing agriculture universities to undertake research activities in horticulture.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, former vice-chancellors of agriculture universities and former professors of horticulture urged the government to reconsider its decision to set up the an university for horticulture.

Instead, they felt, the government should focus on setting up new horticulture colleges, strengthen the infrastructure in existing agriculture universities for undertaking research activities in horticulture , to start horticulture research institutes and to give more emphasis to courses on post-harvest technology in horticulture.
“Setting up a new university for horticulture would lead to duplication of manpower and wastage of resources. Instead, the existing universities can be re-oriented. If a university for horticulture is to be set up, then there would be proposals in future to start universities for sericulture, forests, coffee etc,” said Dr Dwarakanath, former vice chancellor, University of Agriculture Sciences.

Experts also said that the government should have consulted them before going ahead with its decision to set up the horticulture university. The panel also announced that it would shortly submit a memorandum to Governor T N Chaturvedi on this regard.