Three Centre of Excellence to be set up for fruits, vegetables: Agri Min

The Agriculture Ministry on Friday said three Centre of Excellence (CoE) will be set up for dragon fruit, mango, vegetables and flowers at Bengaluru, Jajpur and Goa.

The ministry "has approved 49 CoEs till now, out of which 3 CoEs have been approved on March 9, 2023" under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), an official statement said.

One CoE for Kamlam (Dragon Fruit) will be set up by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) at experimental station Hirehalli in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The second CoE for mango and vegetables will be set up under the Indo-Israel Action Plan at Panikoili, Jajpur District, Odisha.

The third CoE for vegetables and flowers under the Indo-Israel Action Plan will be established at a government agricultural farm in Ponda, South Goa.

Under the MIDH, Centers of Excellence are being established in various states through Bilateral Cooperation or Research Institutes.

These CoEs serve as demonstration and training centres for the latest technologies in the field of horticulture.

These centres also serve as a source of planting material for fruits and vegetable seedlings for protected cultivation and are used for transfer of technology and knowhow in diverse areas, viz., Post-Harvest management, Irrigation and Fertigation, Plant protection, Introduction of New Varieties, Pollination etc.