A farmer who cultivated apples for the first time in Telangana and presented a box of the fruit to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday on the occasion of state formation day came in for praise from him.
Kendre Balaji, the farmer from Komram Bheem Asifabad district, told reporters that Rao lauded him and assured him all help. An official release quoted Rao as saying that cultivation of apples in the state showed that Telangana has a variety of soils. Rao gave some apples to those who participated in the formation day celebrations at Pragati Bhavan, the Chief Minister's camp office-cum-official residence, it said.
Apple is mainly cultivated in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, the hills of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. It is also cultivated to a lesser extent in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Punjab and Sikkim.
Balaji said he cultivated HR 99 Apple (variety) in two acres at Dhanora village in Kerameri Mandal in the district and that the state horticulture department gave him a lot of support and help. He said cultivation of apple can be expanded in the mandal.
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