Kolkata: The Horticulture Department of West Bengal plans to set up two floriculture Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the state.
One CoE will be in the Nadia district, while the other one will be in Darjeeling. Twenty acres have been assigned for these in Ayeshpur in Nadia and Mongpoo in Darjeeling.
The Centres plan to conduct R&D and other floriculture experiments in collaboration with the Netherlands. Flower cultivators will be subsequently trained on modern methods.
Flower farmers in different districts cultivate marigolds, roses, jasmine and orchids, among others. However, they often lack the expertise to do it scientifically.
In many cases, they are not aware of the quantity of fertiliser required for a particular flower or how to prepare the land before sowing seeds.
Subsequently, sufficient production does not happen and as a result, exports get compromised.
These centres will try to devise processes that increase production and consequently enhance exports.
Though Howrah and Medinipur lead in floriculture, the CoEs have been set up in Nadia and Darjeeling due to land availability. However, farmers from across the state can visit these CoEs for training.
The CoEs will also train farmers to prepare oil, perfume from flowers. The expert team from the Netherlands will visit the CoEs this month only.
They will check the environment, climate and soil in these areas. Then they will discuss with the officials how to increase production capacity. They will also advise on the infrastructure and equipment that will be required.
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