Two-day training held on Kiwifruit cultivation

GANGTOK, 12 Jan: Kiwifruit is also known as China’s miracle and wonder of New Zealand. Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh are leading producers of kiwifruit in India. In Sikkim, the West district leads in terms of area under cultivation and production of kiwifruit especially in Rinchenpong, Deythang and Soreng areas. It is also growing in some pockets of East and North Sikkim.
A press release informs that a two-day program on ‘Technology Demonstration for Training and Pruning in Kiwifruit’ was organised on 10-11 January 2014 under the guidance of Director, Horticulture and Cash Crop Development Department (HCCDD), Khorlo Bhutia and Joint Director, ICAR Sikkim Centre, Dr. R.K. Avasthe.
A total of 39 progressive kiwifruit growers of Dahap, Singyang, Narboo, Yuksam, Nesha, Kaluk, Uttarey, Yangsum, etc areas of West Sikkim attended the program and showed keen interest in learning kiwifruit cultivation techniques to get better production, it is mentioned.
Inaugurating the program, Joint Director, Horticulture and Cash Crop Development Department, Govt. of Sikkim, Jagdish Pradhan highlighted the importance of the kiwifruit training and pruning program and emphasized that this jointly organized program by the state department and ICAR hopes to affect fast transfer of horticultural technologies among the farming community.
Senior Scientist (Horticulture), Dr. Ashish Yadav gave details of the organic kiwifruit production techniques in Sikkim and demonstrated the training and pruning methods in kiwifruit to the progressive farmers of West Sikkim at ICAR Research Farm. Scientist Plant Pathology, Dr. R. Gopi shared information on disease and pest management in kiwifruit under organic production system, it is added.