Chinese farmers' lesson for Assam horticulture

GUWAHATI: Farmers from Assam will get lesson of Chinese agricultural success when a delegation of Chinese farmers will visit the state in January next year.

Farmers from China will showcase their best practices in horticulture fair during the first international agri-horticulture exhibition to be hosted in Guwahati from January 8 to 11.

Besides China, farmers from 14 other countries including Canada will participate in the fair. Assam agriculture minister, Nilamoni Sen Deka said, "Altogether 15 countries, including China, have confirmed their participation at the exhibition. There will also be participants from other states of our country."

He added, "The idea to provide a platform to the farmers of state to witness the best practices of international countries and think in terms of export."

China is top producer of paddy, cereals, fruits, vegetables and potatoes and has highest percentage of population dependent on agriculture.

The minister said Agriculture and Horticulture play a vital role in the state's economy and 75% of population derives their livelihood from agriculture and horticulture. "About 90% of the farmers belong to small and marginal group, the average operational holding being 1.37 hectares."

He added that in the recent past, reduction in the area of food grains has been observed largely because of shift towards more remunerative cash crops like fruits and vegetables.

Deka added that newly developed short duration varieties of vegetable crops like cabbage, tomato, capsicum, pea, french bean, etc. fit in the rice based cropping system of this region and thereby the cropping intensity can be increased many fold. There is need to encourage high yielding and disease resistant hybrids for vegetable cultivation.

In 2011-12 the Assam ranked seventh in rice, mustard and spices production, third in jute production, sixth in lentil production, 13th in both fruits and sugarcrane production, ninth in coconut production and 16th in vegetable production in the country.