Central Government has approved Rs 50 crore forc Haryana’s first University of Horticultural Sciences at Anjanthali in district Karnal.

CHANDIGARH, Jan 7- The Central Government has approved Rs 50 crore forc Haryana’s first University of Horticultural Sciences at Anjanthali in district Karnal. Out of it, the Government has released Rs five crore as the first installment to set up this university.
The State Government has appointed Prof. K. P. Singh as the first Vice-Chancellor of this University, the foundation stone for which was laid by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Mr Radha Mohan Singh on April 6,2016. Prof. K. P. Singh is also the Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar.
The Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Mr O.P. Dhankar said that the decision to set up a full fledged horticultural university was taken to support the gap between teaching, research and extension activities in the state and would disseminate latest technology and horticulture education to the young generation, besides identifying strategies for further development. He also said that this University shall have three Regional Research Stations representing different agro-climatic conditions of the State. He hoped that the University would help in bringing new technologies of modern era, climate change, improving productivity levels and adopting appropriate crop diversification to suit the agro climatic conditions of the region.
He said that this University will also act as a skill development centre to cater the larger demand for trained manpower in the production, post harvest management and processing industries. There is a huge scope for value addition and agro-processing industries in the State. As a result of its proximity to major markets like Delhi and tri-city of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, it offers an excellent marketing and export channels. The extension officers and farmers shall be immensely benefitted that will help in raising not only productivity levels but also increasing the farm income.
He said that Haryana holds tremendous potential in horticulture and the farmers in the State have also started taking up horticulture crops as a separate viable economic activity.Haryana has a vision to double the area and three times the production in coming years to give a boost to the growth of horticulture and create market and post harvest infrastructure.He said that the region and crop specific research and extension activities in Horticulture University would not only boost farmers of Haryana in horticulture production and productivity but would also help the people in getting nutritionally secure products.