Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said the State will produce horticulture and forest-related plants on a large scale through the upcoming Tissue Culture Laboratory and supply them to farmers. He said all types of plants required for the ambitious Telangana ku Haritha Haram programme being implemented in the State will also be supplied.
The Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Tissue Culture Lab at Jeedimetla in Qutbullahpur mandal of Medical Malkajgiri District. The lab will be developed by Telangana State Seed Development Corporation (TSSDC). Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy, TSSDC chairman K Koteshwara Rao, MLA KP Vivekananda, TS Seeds Director Dr Keshavulu and others, attended the programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Niranjan Reddy said the aim was to grow plants using the latest technology and scientific methods rather than following traditional methods, to achieve better yield. The state-of-the-art Tissue Culture Laboratory, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 4.2 crore, is the first-of-its-kind in the public sector across the country. Further, the laboratory will produce quality varieties of fruits, flowers, spices, medicinal, forest and ornamental plants and sell them to other States. When compared to the saplings/plants developed using traditional methods, those developed through tissue culture display features like stronger and pest-free, besides having faster growth, quality and also better yield.
“The lab will bring a revolution in plant breeding, production and reproduction. It will not only serve as the primary production centre for a variety of plants, but also extend the research results to farmers faster. There is a growing demand for saplings developed using tissue culture method,” the Minister said. While the basic infrastructure will be developed within nine months, efforts are being made to get it inaugurated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.
Also Read : Roots of health: How a simple processing method helps turmeric farmers earn more
