Proper strategy needed to boost horticulture: Gyurme

Itanagar, Aug 6 (UNI) If proper strategy, planning, infrastructure and technology are provided to the farmers, Arunachal will emerge as a major fruit supplier to the neighbouring countries, said Horticulture Parliamentary secretary Tsering Gyurme.

Flagging off refrigerated Vans at Dirang in West Kameng district yesterday he asserted, ''fruits market in Arunachal Pradesh could be a major source of supply to not only India but neighbouring countries including China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh as well.'' Arunachal was the leading producer of temperate and citrus fruits including apple, orange and kiwi in the entire northeast which could be turned into rich dividends to the farmers, he informed.

'' Our oranges are better than those of Nagpur. We only need to transform our potentials into reality by maintaining the gardens, providing facilities to the farmers like post-harvesting technologies, food processing units, cold chains including refrigerated vans to send our produces in healthy conditions to other parts of the country and abroad '' he added.

He said lack of information and publicity within and outside the state was another major deterrent towards the state's produce not being able to penetrate the international market.

'' These refrigerated vans would impart knowledge about growing the right kinds of fruits, vegetables and flowers to the farmers in every nook and corner of the state,'' he said, while lamenting that earlier farmers in one part of the state could not know what their counterparts were growing in the other part.

Emphasizing on horticulture as the future of the state, Mr Gyurme said Arunachal was no lesser than Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh.

''God has given abundant blessing to the state by the virtue of its rich and fertile land. Only motivation and patience were needed to boost horticulture since they are long term activities whose gestation period is also lengthy. But the long wait never goes unrewarded and it is always sweet in the end,'' he remarked.

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