A ‘Media Resource Centre/CISH Phone-in-Live/Visitor’s room’ facility was inaugurated by Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Government of India and Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. On the occasion Dr. H. Ravishankar, Director, CISH explained that this facility would cater to the needs of farmers/fruit growers/stakeholders/entrepreneurs/industry through a direct communication channel with Institute’s scientists for availing immediate solutions to their problems related to new fruit varieties developed, production technologies, management of insect pests and diseases, development of farm machinery and value added products and marketing of fruits and other problems caused by climatic changes for maximizing fruit productivity on sustained basis.  The ‘Phone-in-Live’ facility has been made available to all the users on telephone No. 0522-2841082 on every Friday of the week from today onwards in between 10.30 AM and 4:00 PM in an interactive mode.

The foundation stone for extension of laboratory building was also laid by Dr. Ayyappan. The chief guest in his address to the scientists appreciated the significant achievements of the Institute during past 38 years. He stressed the need for profit-prestige-partner ship (PPP) mode in agriculture giving it a new dimension and keeping in the centre, the interests of the farmers. Due focus is to be given to arid horticulture and underutilized fruit crops in the years to come, he added. He also expressed the concerns of almost stagnant productivity in agriculture, problems of spongy tissue, jelly formation, jhumka in mango, waste management in horticultural crops.

Dr H. P. Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticulture), ICAR in his remarks highlighted the Institute’s technologies like ultra high density planting of guava which has spread to many new areas and made visible impact due to very high productivity upto 40 tonnes/ha in south India and Maharashtra.

Dr H. Ravishankar, Director presented the achievements of the Institute like rejuvenation technology, high density planting, integrated disease and pest management, value added products and technologies for fruit waste management. A media resources file has been created on the Institute’s website www.cishlko.org. Dr P. S. Pathak, former director, IGFRI, and a well known agroforester shared that fruit and other trees constitute 3.1 percent of the total 9% forest cover in U.P.

All the technologies developed by the Institute were displayed through the posters on the occasion. Dr B. Meenakumari, DDG (Fishery), ICAR,  Dr R. P. Singh, former VC, MPUAT, Udaipur, Dr R. L. Yadav, Director, IISR,  Dr Mathura Rai, former director, IIVR, Varanasi, Dr S. K. Pandey, were present present on the occasion.

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