SHERGAON : Governor Lt Gen K T Parnaik (Retd) on Saturday urged the youths to look beyond traditional farming and view horticulture as a source of livelihood, innovation, value addition, and employment generation.
Interacting with farmers, horticulturists, and officials during a visit to the State Horticulture Farm at Shergaon in West Kameng district, the governor said agriculture and horticulture are not merely occupations, but powerful instruments for economic growth, self-reliance, and rural prosperity.
Parnaik emphasised the need to transfer modern scientific methods, innovative farming practices, and advanced technologies from research farms to villages so that local youth can transform the sector into profitable entrepreneurial ventures.
Highlighting the state’s favourable climate and rich natural resources for cultivating high-value temperate fruits, he called upon farmers and young entrepreneurs to become active partners in the state’s journey towards sustainable development and the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision.
During the visit, the governor was shown demonstrations of modern scientific methods in horticulture, including the use of drone technology for farm management and crop monitoring.
Commending the farm management, Parnaik said such technologies optimise resource utilisation and support efficient, sustainable farming.
State Horticulture Farm in-charge Kuru Ama informed the governor that the Shergaon facility functions as a model institution cultivating over 40 varieties of apples alongside plum, pear, chestnut, cherry, walnut, and persimmon. He added that the farm plays a pivotal role in crop diversification and distributing quality planting materials to boost regional farm incomes.
Parnaik also inspected the Trout Hatching Farm at Shergaon, established in 1979, where he advocated for the integrated development of horticulture and cold-water fisheries to maximise rural earnings and strengthen food security.
According to District Fishery Development Officer Pema Khandu Thungon, the trout farm produces around two metric tonnes of trout and 1.5 lakh trout seeds annually across its 25 raceways and hatchery. (Source: PTI)
