The CCHAU and the Netherlands Government have decided to jointly work on a project to tackle issues like crop residue management and work on bio-defense strategy, protected cultivation, peri-urban and urban horticulture, floriculture and hydroponic vegetables.
Besides, the project will go into setting up of an Indo-Dutch Horticulture Centre at Jhajhar, an agri-business incubation centre and explore the scope for teacher-student training, exchange programme, special short-term training programme and knowledge gap analysis.
This was decided at a meeting of the Joint Working Group of the Indo-Dutch Collaboration presided over by CCSHAU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. K.P. Singh, on the university campus, yesterday.
Addressing the meeting, Prof. Singh sought collaboration of Netherlands in tackling the problem of brackish water in Haryana so that the water could be used for irrigation purposes. It would help overcome the water crisis faced by farmers in growing crops.
Asking the Dutch delegation to provide expertise in setting up flower auction centre in Gurugram, he highlighted the problem of paddy straw burning and its side effects on environment, public health and safety. Various solutions like biochar project for gas bottling, setting up of demonstration models for management of agri-waste were discussed at length at the meeting.
The CCHAU has submitted a project on Horticulture Centre of Excellence for protected cultivation under the National Agriculture Higher Education Project in collaboration with Wageningen University, Netherlands. The Joint Working Group felt that there is need to minimize post-harvest losses, integrated pest management and provide logistic support.
Besides the Dutch delegation, those present at the meting included officials from the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, State Agriculture Marketing Board, Haryana Dairy Development Corporation, Fishery Department, Haryana, Haryana State Horticulture Development Agency, Mr. Ashok Bansal, Municipal Commissioner, Hisar, and HAU deans, directors and faculty members.
The Dutch delegation which attended the Joint Working Group Meeting of the Indo-Dutch Collaboration comprised Mr Wouter Verhey, Counsellor, Agriculture, Embassy of Netherlands, Mr. Frederik Vossenaar, Representative, Ministry of Agriculture, Netherlands, Mr. Fokke Fennema, Agriculture Specialist, World Bank, Dr. Arjo Rothuis, Wagenengen University and Research, Netherlands, and Mr. Anand Krishnan, Deputy Counsellor, Agriculture.
A delegation led by Prof Singh will soon make a presentation to the World Bank to explore generation of resources for development of technology and its dissemination by WUR, Netherlands, Haryana Government and CCSHAU.
Later, the Dutch delegation visited the High Quality Planting Material Centre, horticulture experimental orchard and machinery testing centre at on the university campus.
===balbirsingh227@gmail.com
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