Farmers advised against artificial ripening of fruits

Vikarabad (Rangareddy): Principal Secretary of Agriculture Poonam Malakondaiah advised farmers to reduce the usage of calcium carbide during pre and post-harvest process for ripening of fruits artificially. She participated as chief guest at the one-day state-level training programme organised for farmers at a horticulture nursery here on Monday.

Addressing the farmers, Poonam Malakondaiah said that the Telangana government was giving special attention on raising fruit orchards. She asked farmers to show interest in vegetable cultivation and raising fruit orchards rather than commercial crops. She told farmers that there would be threat to the human existence in the future if the usage of calcium carbide in fruit ripening becomes excess. Poonam gave a call to farmers to use organic fertilisers for getting better yield which would be beneficial to humans also.

She said that countries around the world were not interested to purchase artificially ripened fruits. She pointed out that fruit orchards can be raised if suitable climate and water in abundance was available. “State government would sanction Rs 30 lakh to a district-level group for imparting training to progressive farmers, who are interested in cultivating vegetables and raising fruit orchards,” she said. She asked farmers to ensure their soil samples were tested prior to taking up cultivation of vegetables and raising fruit orchards.