The Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) will organise a mega seed mela on the campus here as well as in three other places in the State on May 24.
The Regional Agricultural Research Stations (RARS) in Jagtial (for Northern Telangana), Warangal (for Central Telangana) and Palem in Nagarkurnool district (for Southern Telangana) are the other three venues that would play host to the mela-cum-sale.
Along with Director of IIOR Vishnuvardhan Reddy, University Vice-Chancellor V. Praveen Rao announced on Monday that about 15 seed stalls of research institutes of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) such as Indian Institute of Oil Seeds Research (IIOR), Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) and Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) would be arranged at the proposed melas.
Besides, PJTSAU, Telangana State Seed Development Corporation and Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Agency would also set up their stalls at the melas. Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy will inaugurate the event on the university campus at Rajendranagar here.
The V-C stated that such a seed mela is being organised in the State for the first time with State Government agencies, agricultural university and ICAR institutions coming under one umbrella.
The objective of the mela is to provide quality seed to the farming community at the right time to enhance production and productivity of crops.
About 900 quintals of paddy seed, 200 to 300 quintals of maize, sorghum, pulses, green manure and fodder seed and about 400 quintals of oil seeds would be available for sale.
At the same time, awareness would be created among farmers attending the mela on the best crop management practices.