Hisar based Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) 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, an Indo-Dutch Horticulture Centre at Jhajjar, an agri-business incubation centre would be set up and the scope for teacher-student training, exchange programme, special short-term training programme and knowledge gap analysis would be explored between CCSHAU and the Netherlands Government.
This was decided at a meeting of the Joint Working Group of the Indo-Dutch Collaboration presided over by CCSHAU Vice-Chancellor, Prof KP Singh, in the university campus.
During 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 meeting 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 among others.
later, the Dutch delegation visited the High Quality Planting Material Centre, horticulture experimental orchard and machinery testing centre at the university campus.