ZP plans horti-clinics to promote horticulture crops

They will give professional advice to growers

Want to start a kitchen garden or want some advice on growing crops?

Then drop into horti-clinics, which will be started soon by the Dakshina Kannada Department of Horticulture in wake of promoting horticulture crops.

These clinics will act as single window agencies and provide professional advice to growers and help maximise their returns by suggesting good market options.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Horticulture Department Deputy Director Dr S Nanda said that the first horti-clinic in DK will come up in Mangalore and will be set in the Horticulture department premises at Bendoorwell.

“We have been given Rs four lakhs for setting up the clinic. This clinic will start functioning on pilot basis. There are plans to have horti-clinics in every taluk depending on the success of the pilot project,” she said and added that the clinics are set up so that growers can get assistance under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and from the National Horticulture Board (NHB).

The clinic will have a technical person as well as a horticulture graduate working in it. However, there is shortage of these graduates, she points out. “The clinics will advice growers on selection of crops on basis of soil and water conditions and may also assist them to their fields and give feedback. Information on the crop diseases and methods on preventing them will also be suggested,” she said.

Horticulture clusters

Horticulture department is planning to set up integrated horticulture clusters in the district, where land will be identified and a particular type of crop will be grown. The growers will be given benefits, professional advice and will also be suggested good market options.

“There are plans to identify 80 hectares of land in each cluster and a minimum of two clusters in each taluk. A fund of Rs 300 crores has been earmarked for this purpose in the state, out of which Rs five crore has been allotted only for survey,” says ZP CEO Dr K N Vijayprakash.

“Horticulture is no more an occupation as it has become a huge industry. With horti-clinics the farmers can get timely advice for free. These centers will keep updating themselves about the latest developments with regard to horticulture.

They shall collect information from Universities and research centers and in turn give it to the comman man”, said the CEO.