The Andhra Pradesh Horticultural University, the first horticultural university in the state, is looking at developing price forecasting models for vegetables and fruits.
A database of quantity of produce, arrivals of other produce in the same season, favourable markets, logistics and others will be factored in for price prediction.
Speaking to Business Standard, vice-chancellor SD Shikamany said the varsity, which admitted its first batch last year, will focus on research, transfer of technology and extension services. It will identify the employment potential for horticulture graduates and train the students in polyhouse cultivation to be job-ready at the end of their four-year course. The focus will be on promoting entrepreneurship among them.
The horticultural university has been carved out of the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, headquartered at Rajendranagar in Hyderabad. About 80 graduates are churned out annually of which a majority of them opted for higher studies and few joined banks and seed companies.
The first batch of about 250 students from the new university will graduate in 2011. It is mandatory for the students here to undergo training with the industry apart from working in the fields during the VII and VIII semesters.
“Campus placement will be conducted based on the feedback from industry,”' he said, adding there was employment scope for horticulturists in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The university, headquartered in Tadepalligudem of West Godavari, will also adopt some villages and follow a cluster development approach to give value-additions to local crops, Sikhamany said.
Also Read
It will appoint about 200 teachers for its three constituent colleges in West Godavari, Kadapa and Mahabubnagar districts over the next two years. This apart, it will recruit 40 faculty members for two postgraduate colleges in West Godavari and Rajendranagar in Hyderabad.
The research goal will be bringing higher returns to growers of mango, grape, guava, pomegranate, pine apple, jack fruit and spices among others by modifying the cropping patterns and post-harvest methodology.
At present, horticulture contributes 5.38 per cent to the state GDP but has a potential to contribute 10 per cent in ten years with value addition.
For instance, pomegranate seeds can be exported instead of the entire fruit. The state sends out 200 containers of the fruit, each containing 15 tonne pomegranate, to the US and Spain.
The state exports about 30,000 tonne grape and this can be increased by another 25 per cent by modifying the cropping patterns. Canned pineapple and jack fruit have a good market in Thailand, he said.
It will help farmers if surplus production is processed. Today, less than one per cent of the produce is processed as many farmers do not understand the dynamics of processing. “Farm fresh and processed products should be blended to increase the profitability to farmers,” he said.