DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi Sunday inaugurated the vegetable grafting unit at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University here.

Established at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore, the unit aims to enhance vegetable crop production and increase farmers' income.

Speaking on the occasion, Joshi emphasized the benefits of the unit, highlighting that it will provide farmers with disease-free and high-quality vegetable seedlings.

He pointed out that the unit's establishment will not only improve farmers' earnings but also offer consumers chemical-free vegetables. Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof B R Kamboj said that grafting is a unique horticultural technique which is used to prevent nematodes and soil-borne diseases or to increase the plant's resistance according to different environmental conditions.

Grafting is possible in brinjal, tomato, chilli, capsicum as well as cucurbitaceous vegetables like cucumber etc.

Kamboj highlighted that the grafting unit can produce millions of plants simultaneously, benefiting farmers in Haryana and other northern states. The advantages of this technique include increased disease resistance, improved yield, tolerance to extreme temperatures, salinity, and floods, as well as enhanced nutritional quality of the produce. The unit will also offer training sessions to farmers and unemployed youth, encouraging them to adopt grafting as a viable business opportunity.

(editor@dailyworld.in)