Nabard recommends steps to develop horticulture in TN

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has assessed the potential for horticulture in Tamil Nadu that could be developed with institutional credit support at Rs 457 crore for 2005-06.

The Nabard's state focus paper has recommended to the Tamil Nadu government to bring in a policy so as to encourage investments in food processing industries to tap the full potential of the sector.

The focus paper has also suggested to the department of horticulture to make efforts to promote the capital investment subsidy scheme for setting up cold storage units to minimise post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables.

The directorate of horticulture is promoting cultivation of minor fruit crops like pear and plums in the hills of Nilgris under the crop diversification programme.

The implementation of agri export zone (AEZ) for mango in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanayakumari districts. The proposed AEZ for banana in Tiruchirapalli district may bring more area under these crops in the ensuing years.

As the prices of coconut have fallen, promotion of coconut-based industries for the production of value-added products like desiccated coconut, packed tender coconut water, coir products, shell powder can be encouraged.

Nabard said the technologies available for converting coir pith into valuable compost need to be popularised.

In the tea sector, as a long-term measure to the current problem of low price realisation, efforts should be directed towards productivity and quality improvement programmes by emphasising more on pruning, replanting, infilling, providing irrigation and factory modernisation programmes, the focus paper suggested.