National Horticulture Fair to be held in Bengaluru from 23 to 25 January

The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), country’s leading institute situated at Hessarghatta (Bengaluru), will organise a national horticulture fair from 23rd to 25th January, to exhibit its popular crop varieties, cropping practices and advanced technologies.

The aim of the horticulture fair is to turn farmers into entrepreneurs, which is being held with the theme ‘Horticulture for Rural Prosperity’.

M.R. Dinesh, director of the Institute said that farmers from around 10 States, including Assam, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir are expected adding that “overall, we are expecting about 10,000 visitors every day”.

Mr. Dinesh stressed on the need to “make horticulture a lucrative activity and to double their incomes”. He said that the institution was established to present a holistic view of horticulture right from production and sowing of seed to cultivation, value addition and marketing.

The horticulture fair will also have live demonstration plots of high-value vegetable crops as well as flowers. The main focus will be on eco-friendly and disease-resistant types, eco-friendly production practices, value addition and utilization of machinery.

There will be around 100 stalls by various organisations for selling and showcasing horticulture-related products.

The director said youth, especially the educated ones and in various professions showing interest in horticulture can learn a lot from this fair. He added “We have formed a consultancy table for scientists and experts to interact with them”.

The main feature of the fair is presentation of a combination of different practices that will go a long way in making horticulture a profitable and sustainable activity. This year, IIHR is also exhibiting methods of rainwater harvesting along with use of solar power.

There will be a demonstration of integrated horticultural systems on a one hectare plot that includes not just perennial crops like mango, but also a number of high-value vegetables, aromatic plants, flowers, apiary, fodder for cattle and fishery.