FROM THE DIRECTOR’s DESK

The Central Institute of Horticulture has been putting all its efforts to achieve its mandate for addressing key issues relevant to horticulture development in the region. This emphasized on the reports on a number of significant advances the institute has made in 2013-14.

The Institute has initiated work focusing on its vision, mission and objectives and has brought significant contribution in the horticulture sector of this region.

Although, there are manpower and other logistic constraints, the institute is striving towards achieving its objectives with its available resources and has made some significant achievements so far. With regard to production of quality planting material, the Institute has established ten (10) numbers of Scion/mother block. During the year 2013-14, gap filling has been done for nine (crops) in the existing scion blocks viz., guava, cashew nut and citrus. Raising of rootstocks and propagation of citrus, cashew nut, guava and mango was also successfully carried out in the Institute.

In terms of technology demonstrations, various activities like high density plantation of banana, plantation of papaya, plantation of pomegranate, plantation of gerbera and rose under polyhouse, establishment of organic model farm of turmeric, cultivation of off season onion etc were taken up at the Institute farm. In the farmers field, demonstration of improved technologies such as citrus rejuvenation in an old and declined orchard in Nagaland, organic model farm of ginger and turmeric in Meghalaya, demonstration of banana plot in Nagaland, establishment of guava mother block and demonstration plot in Nagaland and demonstration of improved production technologies, production of quality seedling, water harvesting with drip irrigation system and setting up of post-harvest management and primary processing unit of Sirakhong chillies at Manipur etc. was implemented.

In the field of technology transfer, the institute has conducted 23 numbers of trainings (2 trainers training and 21 farmers training) in collaboration with reputed institutions and organization where a total 945 participants were benefitted. The Institute has also organized five (5) numbers of exposure trips to reputed Institutes in the country for the officials and farmers of North East Region besides participation in various exhibitions and trade fairs. Impressive number of folders, both in local dialect as well as in English with special reference to focus horticultural crops of NER was also published by the institute for technology dissemination.........