'Bengal must become self-sufficient in horticultural produce'

West Bengal needs to beef up onion production by at least 80 percent and green chilies by at least 40 percent to attain 80 percent self-sufficiency in horticultural produce by 2017, a senior official said Monday.

"We are already producing surplus in agro items. Now our aim is to become self-sufficient in horticultural items which will need onion production to grow 80 percent and green chilies by 40 percent," Pradip Mazumder, agricultural and allied sector advisor to the chief minister, told IANS.

He said the state's research agencies are working on a plan to cultivate onion throughout the two seasons and the level of cultivable land in the state has to be increased.

"Efforts are going on to cultivate onion both for Rabi and Kharif season. Our aim is by 2017, at least 80 percent of the horticultural produce has to be self-reliant," he said.

Mazumder said the seasonal exorbitant prices of onions and chilies prompted the government to think about self-sufficiency.

"The chili price rise in 2012 was only brought under control once production was stepped up and the ongoing price fluctuations can be combated once the state is self-sufficient in horticulture," he said.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool government, which came to power in 2011, is emphasising on the use of poly houses and shed-net houses to raise the flower yield of West Bengal.

It has built 58,200 metres of poly houses and 3,21,180 square metres of shed-net houses against 5,520 metres and 448 square metres of the same in the former Left Front regime.

The concept of poly houses emerged to control the adverse environmental conditions such as excess rainfall, temperature, cold conditions, airflow and other which affect the production of flora.

The state government said India and Holland both have nearly the same area under flower cultivation. But Holland has cornered 70 percent of flower export by using superior technology. In contrast, India's share is only about one percent in the global market.