PASIGHAT, Jun 28: The high-value vegetable especially king chilli is a remunerative crop for the farmers of Northeastern region. Hence, farmers of Arunachal Pradesh are showing interest towards cultivation of such vegetable crops for higher economic returns.
However, due to excess rainfall in the months of May to August, they are generally facing the problem of vegetable cultivation and crop loss in open conditions. During this period, most of vegetables are coming from other parts of the country to Arunachal Pradesh which is generally of higher cost. In such a situation, low-cost protected cultivation structures will be the best alternative and boon for farmers to cultivate the majority of such high-value vegetables, thereby improving the economic status and living standards of the farmers of the region.
In this regard, the College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF), Pasighat organized a one-day on-campus ‘Critical Inputs Distribution Programme for the Promotion of Organic Production in High Value Vegetables under Low Cost Protected Cultivation Structures’ on Wednesday. The programme was chaired by Dr BN Hazarika, Dean CHF.
Altogether 34 progressive farmers from 10 different villages of East Siang - Seram, Mebo, Silluk, Sille, Ledum, Sikatode, Sikabamin, Rani, Mirku, and Mirem - were provided with critical inputs like high quality polyhouse sheet and 75% agro green shade net, Um-Comb, Bio-BT and Neem Soap (IIHR) 01 kg each for construction of low-cost protected structures for cultivation of high value vegetables like king chilli, capsicum, cucumber and tomato.
Dr L Wangchu, professor and HoD (Fruit Science) highlighted the scope and importance of protected cultivation for organic production of high value vegetables, while the techniques of low-cost protected crop cultivation structures for high value vegetables were explained by Er Rakesh Salam, SMS, KVK, East Siang.
The principal investigator cum organizing secretary, Dr Ajaykumara KM arranged the critical inputs for the promotion of organic production in high value vegetables using recommended bio control agents.
Similar training programme was organized by the CHF from June 9-12 at Aspirational block Monigong, Shi-Yomi district, in which 170 farmers participated from different remote villages. Further, the selected farmers were also given with high quality knapsack sprayers (24 nos) and polyhouse sheet & agro green shade net (35 nos). This programme was sponsored by the Dept of Biotechnology, Govt of India and organized by DBT Biotech KISAN Hub, Dept of Plant Protection, CHF, CAU, Pasighat.