Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Institution to take up floricultural and pomological research

• College to be affiliated to the Horticulture University in Bagalkot district
• It will also encourage more students from the region to study horticulture

Chitradurga: The announcement of a new horticultural college for the district, which is the second largest producer of horticultural produce in the State, has come as a shot in the arm for horticultural activities. The setting up of the new college was announced during the presentation of the State Budget on Friday by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. Rs. 5 crore has been allocated for the project.

Many progressive farmers in the district had called for a horticulture university in Chitradurga; however the new college would be affiliated to the Horticulture University, Bagalkot. According to the officials from the Department of Horticulture in the district, Chitradurga has about 1.05 lakh hectare of horticultural land with more land coming under cultivation each year as a part of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM). Experts believe that the college would give an additional thrust to the horticultural sector in the district.
“It will create human resource and expertise for the growth of horticultural sector, not only in the district but other districts as well”, district Krishi Vigyan Kendra programme coordinator D. Chandrappa said. He said that pomological and floricultural research for the production of new varieties would also be taken up.

Students would also get an opportunity to participate in national- and international-level seminars and research, which in turn would contribute to the growth of the sector, Mr. Chandrappa said.

He said that the Agricultural Research Station, Babbur in Hiriyur taluk, had been upgraded to a zonal station, with two more districts under it, Tumkur and Hassan. The KVKs propagate the technologies developed by the research station. The institutions come under the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

There is also a centre of the Institute of Agriculture Technologies (IAT) in the district, which is involved in research activities and guides farmers.

Mr. Chandrappa said that the new college would also encourage students from the district to take up the four-year horticultural course after pre-university.

At present, the college will be run on the premises of the KVK, with an intake capacity of around 40 students.

“We are hoping to start classes from the next academic year. The process of recruitment of staff will soon be completed. The funds will be used to develop infrastructure and construct hostels”, Mr. Chandrappa said.