GOVERNOR’S SECRETARIAT
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
ITANAGAR

IPR (PR) 3/2008                                                                  Dated Naharlagun, Mar.14, 2009

PRESS RELEASE NO. 199
                                  

                                      Raj Bhavan promotes kitchen garden

ITANAGAR, March 13: “I want to show the people and it is for the people to see, learn and practice,” said Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen JJ Singh, while taking a stroll around the Raj Bhavan Kitchen garden. Gen Singh, who always encourages people in taking up kitchen garden as a hobby and to counter soaring vegetable prices, emphasize on organic farming and ensures the practice in the Garden, reports Raj Bhavan PRO.

Agriculture Development Officer Mrs. T. Angu, who supervises works in the garden informed that the quality produce along with free from contamination of synthetic fertilizer and agro chemical are being sensitized here. For the intrinsic vegetable quality the safety factors are being incorporated in the production process right from nursery to harvesting stage by using integrated pest management method by using mechanical method, i.e. by hand picking of pest, and bio control method by using Trichogramma cards.

She added, planning of the crop calendar to be implemented in the field is being formulated as per the season, need, demand and by analyzing the previous production record. The strategy is being taken depending upon the gestation period of vegetables which often fluctuates due to many aspects like water scarcity, heavy rainfall or scorching heat, severe cold breeze and variety of the seed whether hybrid or local germplasm.

Mrs. Angu pointed in the Rabi season, under regular guidance of the First Lady Anupama Singh, new exotic varieties of lettuce were tried and found that the growth was very conductive in the mild cold temperature of Itanagar. The lettuce varieties include, Iceberg, Rapid grand popular, Butter head, Corn salad, Celery, Parsley etc. Many other winter vegetables like Zucchini green, Zucchini yellow, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, purple cabbage, capsicum bull nose and capsicum elephant trunk. Tomato of many varieties like Rocky, Punjab Chuara and Ameya were grown. The other winter vegetables like carrot, Fenugreek, leak, onion, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage (Blue Diamond), Knol Kohl (Priya), Brinjal, pea, French bean, asparagus, radish, coriander, mint, chilies etc. were also were produced. The Kharif vegetables like that of the cucurbit families like long, ridge, sponged, round, snake, bitter and ass gourds, cucumber and pumpkin were cultivated. Maize growth was commendable. The wonderful profuse production and adaptability of hybrid vegetables in the garden show that the exotic varieties are also suitable under Itanagar agro climatic zone, she added. Some foreign varieties brought from USA by the first couple were tried and found successful.

Agriculture Development Officer further informed that it is a regular practice that the surplus productions are distributed to schools, hospitals and to orphanage.

The Raj Bhavan agriculture kitchen garden measuring an area of 2088 Sq mtrs is developed for growing various varieties of seasonal vegetables. There are nineteen beds producing forty-four varieties of vegetables. The department of Agriculture has been trying to keep the garden as a model garden to provide garden fresh organic vegetables. The frequent visits of the dignitaries to the garden are common feature as an effort to promote organic farming, adds the report.

Sd/ D. Dodum,PRO