The 6th Indian Horticulture Congress 2014 will take place at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore between November 6 and 9. The theme of the congress this year is “Horticulture for Inclusive Growth”.

Organised by the Horticultural Society of India (HSI), New Delhi in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, this conference is to be inaugurated by the Governor of Tamil Nadu K Rosaiah. Over 700 delegates are said to have registered including State and Central Government officials, scientists, students, industry representatives, farmers, entrepreneurs, traders and other commercial ventures. HSI President and Chairman, National Organising Secretary of the Congress KL Chadha said the day (Nov 6) marks the 73{+r}{+d} Foundation day of the Society.

Professor MS Swaminathan will deliver the Foundation Day Lecture on “Horticulture and Meeting the Zero Hunger Challenge”.

Felicitation The Society plans to honour several scientists, entrepreneurs, farmers and exporters for their achievements in their respective fields and confer Honorary Fellowships to such of those identified for their lifetime contributions towards promotion of horticulture.

Recapping the horticulture scenario in India, Chadha said, “Horticulture production during 2013-14 surpassed food grain production by 4 million tonnes to touch 268.82 million tonnes. India’s export of fresh fruits and vegetables was 2.9 million tonnes and estimated at over ₹8.76 lakhs. The present per day per capita availability of fruits and vegetables is about 280 gm and close to the WHO recommended dose of 300 gm. While we have achieved self sufficiency in production, the challenge before us is in meeting up on the quality front under emerging challenges like increasing population, degrading soil and water quality, efficient resource use and fast changing climate. This congress would address and deliberate on such issues,” he told BusinessLine .

The International Horti Index 2014 is being proposed as between November 7 and 9, organised by the Farm Varsity and State Department of Horticulture. It will display hi-tech horticulture technologies, machineries and pest and disease management technologies.

More Like This

Published on November 5, 2014