The Hindu Business Line : Areca growers plan seed bank

IN an effort to conserve traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables, the All-India Areca Growers' Association is planning to set up a seed bank at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district.

The President of All-India Areca Growers' Association, Mr M. Srinivasa Achar, told Business Line on Thursday that the association was taking up the project with the intention of retaining the traditional varieties of seeds.

"In the present scenario, it is difficult to find some of the native varieties of fruits and vegetables. Earlier, farmers had the practice of exchanging seeds of vegetables and fruits with one another. That practice is also disappearing slowly," he said.

Mentioning an example of a native variety of cucumber with medicinal value, he said that particular variety was hard to find in the villages now. The association will make efforts to identify such varieties and conserve them.

Stating that the association doesn't have any commercial purpose in setting up the seed bank, Mr Achar said the seed bank was a sort of exchange for farmers.

To start with, the seed bank will have more than 70 varieties of seeds and most of them procured from organically grown plants.

He said steps would also be taken to document seed varieties.

In addition to conserving seeds, farmers visiting the seed bank can also get information on other agriculture related activities.

Mr Achar said the `Subhiksha Seed Bank' would be inaugurated at Puttur on September 24.

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