Trained manpower capable of handling all aspects of commercial horticulture is the need of the hour: Atul Bora
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Sept 9: On the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of Horticultural Research Station at Kahikuchi in Guwahati, a Horticultural Skill Development Centre was inaugurated on Friday at the campus of the station by the Agriculture and Horticulture minister of Assam, Atul Bora.
The centre, the first of its kind in the region, has been established to develop skilled manpower in the horticultural sector of the state for accelerating entrepreneurship development and employment generation in the horticultural sector.
Built under the financial support of the Central sector scheme Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana, the skill development centre has been developed as a self-contained complex with residential facilities for trainees, smart training hall with modern audio-visual equipment as well as facilities for hands-on and experiential learning in outdoor situations. A team of seventeen multi-disciplinary agricultural scientists of Horticultural Research Station would be acting as trainers.
Delivering his inaugural speech in the inaugural meeting organised on the occasion, Atul Bora remarked that skill development is the most crucial component for horticultural development and holds the key for commercialization of the sector. He also remarked that development of a breed of trained manpower capable of handling all aspects of commercial horticulture is the need of the hour in the state and hoped that the skill development centre would go a long way in fulfilling the need.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Bidyut C. Deka, vice chancellor of Assam Agricultural University, said that commercial and specialty horticulture is skill oriented and without a need based and streamlined agenda for skill development in horticulture, it would be next to impossible to reap economic dividends from horticulture as a business enterprise.
On the sidelines of the event and as a part of the golden jubilee celebrations of Horticultural Research Station, a ready-to-use potting mixture formulation suitable for urban horticulture and container gardening, developed by the station, was also commercially launched. In addition, distribution of planting material and farm equipment to farmers under the ‘Amar Gaon, Amar Gaurav’ and Model Floriculture Village programmes supported by the Centrally sponsored scheme AICRP (Spices) and AICRP (Floriculture) was also ceremonially commenced.
