Arunachal: CHF intensifies onion-garlic-guava mission

PASIGHAT-    Pasighat-based College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF) under its onion-garlic-guava mission distributed seed and planting materials to 55 farmers in collaboration with Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (DOGR), Pune during a function in college campus on Friday.

One quintal onion seeds of Bhima Shakti variety and one quintal garlic of Bhima Purple variety were given free of cost, CHF vegetable science department associate professor Dr. Chandra Deo told this reporter, adding 1000 guava plants of Lalit, Sardar & other varieties of total 5,000 received from CISH, Lucknow, distributed among 55 farmers.

The beneficiaries were from 13 villages, including Dambuk, Namsing, Ledum, Jhampani, Bering, Rayeng and Rune etc.

Highly impressed with the experiences explained by few farmers, DOGR director Dr. Major Singh, who was chief guest, said that the CHF-DOGR efforts have yielded desired results. He also desired to visit Namsing village on Saturday where villagers have formed a producers’ society and planted 15 quintal garlic procured by them at the initiative of Ketan Pangin to gail first hand expereince, informed Dr Deo, the brain behind the initiative and assisted by head (fruit science). Dr. L. Wangchu.

CHF dean Dr. B. N. Hazarika and DOGR principal scientist Dr. Vijay Mahajan as chairman and guest of honour addressed the farmers besides faculty members Dr. Nangsol Dolma Bhutia, Dr. P Sarma, Tasso Yatung, Dr. Bhargava, Dr. S. K. Patanayak, Dr. D. K. Pandey and HoDs of other departments.

Though onion and garlic seeds cost around Rs. three lakh and guava around Rs. five lakh, but the CHF intends to make self sufficient Arunachal Pradesh, which is totally dependent on outside supply like other NE states now, Dr Deo said, adding keen interest of the farmers is catapulting success.