To strengthen the infrastructure for preservation of citrus fruits, the Punjab Government has established a centre of excellence for citrus fruits at Khanaura (Hoshiarpur) at a cost of Rs10.30 cr.
An official spokesperson said that the State Government is making concerted efforts for the same. He said that the centre aims at making Punjab farmers aware of the latest technological and scientific advancements in cultivation of fruits.
The Centre has been set up on a large agriculture farm of about 27 acres abutting Hoshiarpur-Phagwara road. “Since the main objective of the centre is to promote horticulture, maximum area has been kept for it. Out of about 27 acres, an area of 24 acres has been reserved for setting up plant nurseries and orchards. Only 3 acres have been kept for necessary building infrastructure”, he said.
He said that in order to increase production of fruits in the State, Horticulture Department has sold 20,000 virus-free plants grown by drip farming process to the farmers at Modern Nursery.