LONGDING, Jun 23: The College of Horticulture and Forestry (CHF), Pasighat, under the Central Agricultural University (CAU), organized an awareness programme on gerbera cultivation and distributed quality planting materials and inputs under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Floriculture at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Longding.
Held under the North Eastern Hill (NEH) component, the programme aimed at promoting commercial floriculture and enhancing livelihood opportunities for farmers, particularly women and rural youth. Farmers from different villages of Longding district participated in the event.
Prof Sunil Kumar, Principal Investigator of AICRP on Floriculture, delivered the keynote address and highlighted the prospects of floriculture in the Northeast. He described gerbera as a high-value commercial flower with strong market demand and income-generating potential.
Prof Kumar explained scientific cultivation practices, including greenhouse management, planting techniques, nutrient management, irrigation, pest and disease control, harvesting, grading and marketing. He encouraged farmers to adopt modern floriculture technologies and benefit from government-supported programmes.
Welcoming the participants, Dr Utpal Kumar Bhattacharya, Senior Scientist-cum-Head of ICAR-KVK Longding, emphasized the importance of crop diversification and said floriculture could emerge as a viable income source in the district. He also highlighted its role in employment generation, entrepreneurship development and women’s empowerment.
The programme was attended by Subject Matter Specialists Vikas (Horticulture), Dr Amit Kumar (Land and Water Management Engineering) and Dr Deep Narayan Mishra (Plant Protection), who provided technical guidance to the farmers.
As part of the programme, quality planting materials and essential cultivation inputs were distributed among selected beneficiaries to encourage adoption of gerbera cultivation. An interactive session was also held where farmers discussed challenges and received expert advice on floriculture practices suited to local conditions.