|
| National Research Centre for Litchi at Mushari in Muzaffarpur.Bihar |
Muzaffarpur, : The famous litchi from the district is set to get another special feature.
The state government has decided to accord
special crop status to the luscious fruit of Muzaffarpur to boost its
productivity and help spread awareness on scientific methods of
cultivation among farmers.
The government has involved Agricultural
Technology Management Authority (Atma), a World Bank-funded agency, to
disseminate scientific technology of cultivation among traditional
litchi growers in its isle of north
Deputy project manager of Atma Vinod Kumar told The Telegraph
that the authority has chalked out a full-fledged strategy to
disseminate innovative and scientific technology for litchi farming.
“The state government has adopted litchi crop for Muzaffarpur to boost
its production. National Litchi Research Centre, Mushari, has been
involved to lend a helping hand to Atma to increase the size and quality
of the tropical fruit,” he said.
The state government has also designed a model to enhance the productivity of the litchis.
Atma, after consultation with the state
government and scientists of National Litchi Research Centre, Musahari,
has come up with the concept of a farm school.
The authority has started 48 farm schools
in all 12 blocks of the district to disseminate innovative and
scientific research of litchi cultivation and train a sizeable number of
litchi growers to adopt a methodical farming in an attempt to increase
the quality of the crop.
Vinod Kumar said the quality of litchis
produced in Muzaffarpur and its adjoining areas has degraded in the
past few years and thus failed to attract buyers both at the national
and the international levels.
Atma has decided to produce export quality
litchi in Muzaffarpur and north Bihar to facilitate good returns to the
growers. A team of scientists from National Litchi Research Centre,
Musahari, master trainers and subject matter specialists at the
panchayat level would give lessons on a scientific cultivation and
farming to the farmers.
Earlier, National Litchi Research Centre scientist Dr Rajesh Kumar had trained master trainers and subject matter specialists.
The farm schools would be divided into six
chapters or lectures. The farmers would also be given theoretical
information followed by a practical demonstration on the field. The
field demonstration will be organised in February.
Atma deputy project manager Vinod Kumar told The Telegraph that
the focus during the training sessions would be on pest management,
irrigation methods, nutrition of flowering buds of litchi and improving
the size of the fruit.
“The litchi growers would be provided a
bulletin in the form of a booklet on adopting a scientific cultivation
of the crop. New clones of trees brought from Thailand and Vietnam to
the National Litchi Research Centre, Musahari, would also be made
available to the litchi growers,” he said.
***********************************
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment