The Hindu

Udupi, May 24: President of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat Raju Poojary said on Saturday that the Horticulture Department should give priority to promoting floriculture in the district.

He was speaking after inaugurating fruits and flowers show, organised by the Department of Horticulture here.

Mr. Poojary said that some flowers had a huge export potential. The cultivation of such flowers would yield good returns to growers. “It is essential to create awareness among the farmers about the benefits of floriculture,” he said.

Encourage farmers

The department should encourage farmers to grow horticultural crops. The two-day fruits and flowers show organised by the department should be extended to at least seven days so that people from across the district could see it. The show should be organised on a larger scale as done in Bangalore. The Horticulture Department possessed 24 acres of land, which should put to good use, Mr. Poojary said.

Deputy Director of the Department of Horticulture K. Narendra Babu welcomed the gathering. Chief Planning Officer of Udupi Zilla Panchayat Vijaykumar Shetty, president of Udupi Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Vijaykumar Udyavar, and municipal councillor Prabhakar were present.

The cut flowers on display included Lilium, Dutch Rose, Carnation, Gerbera, Gladiolus, Golden Rod, chrysanthemum, anthurium, China Aster, Daisy, Tuberose, Bird of Paradise, Heliconia, Torch Lily, and Orchid. The plants on display included coleus, ornamental cabbage, phlox, balsam, periwinkle, cox comb and marry gold.

Features

The other features of the show were vegetable carvings, bonsai collection, garland collection and collection of different fruits and vegetables.