This year’s edition of National Horticulture Fair of Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) will held from February 8 to 12, in both physical and virtual formats.
Though the Mela had registered nearly one lakh footfall last year, turning out to be the country’s biggest horticultural fair, the IIHR has decided to restrict the number of visitors to the physical version of this year’s fair to 30,000 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. To compensate for this, measures are being taken to attract nearly 25 lakh visitors to the virtual edition.
The physical entry would be mostly confined to farmers from Karnataka and neighbouring States, with prior registration.
Pointing out that the theme of this year’s fair is “Horticulture: For start-up and stand-up India”, IIHR Director M.R. Dinesh explained that the main intention is to turn horticulture into a business enterprise in a bid to increase the income of farmers. He said the proposed fair would try to cater to the needs of aspirational youth, who had shown keen interest in farming since COVID-19 days, by showcasing the latest and cutting edge technologies.
The fair, being organised in collaboration with various agencies, would involve all the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the country, he said. The event’s organising secretary and Principal Scientist Dr. M.V. Dhananjaya said 216 technologies developed by the IIHR would be showcased during the fair. Various NGOs and FPOs were being involved in the fair, which would have about 100 stalls, he said.
Seed portal sees business of ₹45 lakh in four months
The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), which has launched the country’s first ever seed portal by a public sector unit, has recorded a turnover of ₹45 lakh in just four months.
IIHR Director Dr. M.R. Dinesh said the seeds had been sold to farmers in 23 States of the country. Seeds of about 60 crop varieties are available through the seed portal. IIHR has now set a target of more than doubling the quantum of its seed sales from the present 20 tonnes a year to 50 tonnes, Dr. Dinesh explained.
