Devote energy to adaptive reseach: Dr M Tamilselvan exhorts

Coimabtore, Aug 7 (UNI) Calicut based Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development, Director Dr M Tamilselvan today appealed to agricultural scientists to devote their energy to adaptive research like improving production of spices.

Addressing a two-day Review Meeting of the National Horticultural Mission (NHM) on Spices Projects at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here he said the new technologies developed by the State Agricultural Universities and National Research Institutes could successfully reach the farmers by conducting frontline Demonstration Programmes.

The Directorate was directly implementing the NHM project in 18 states all over India with 38 implementing agencies like State Agricultural Universities and National Research Institutes of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research). The crops covered under the scheme were spices, medicinal and aromatic plants, he added.

The NHM project was launched during 2005-06 under the 10th plan to double the production of spices.

The main programme of the Directorate is the production of nuclear planting material for further multiplication and distribution to farmers, he added.

TNAU Vice Chancellor Dr C Ramasamy in his address said due to intensive lab to land promotional programmes launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and State Agricultural Universities, production of major spices including chilli, coriander, cumin, fenneland fenugreek had shown substantial growth during 2007-08 but productivity of black pepper, cardamom (large), ginger, turmeric, garlic and nutmeg was declining.

About 100 scientists from across the country participated in the meeting.

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