Thursday, June 2, 2011

40 more hectares brought under Baby Corn cultivation

TIE-UPS REAFFIRMED WITH SIMFED AND GFPF TO ENSURE GOOD PRICE AND ASSURED OFF-TAKE

GANGTOK, 01 May: The Food Security and Agriculture Development Department, under the 100-days programme of the State Government has completed plantation of baby corn across 40 hectares of area in the current season, a press release informs. 
The clusters selected for the cultivation are Lower Martam, Lower Rumbuk, Sombaria, Tharpu and Chumbong in West Sikkim, Chisopani, Samatar and Chalamthang in South Sikkim and Rumtek, Sajong, Changey, Marchak, Saramsa and Namcheybong in East Sikkim.
Two hundred farmers from the selected area were imparted training on Baby Corn cultivation and encouraged to expand its plantation, informs a department press release.

Recognising Baby Corn as a highly perishable crop which has to be processed within 48 hours from its harvest, the department has also tied-up with SIMFED for marketing and Government Fruit Preservation Factory (GFPF) Singtam for timely processing. SIMFED has already been purchasing Baby Corn at a fixed support price of Rs. 60 per Kg from the farmers, it is informed. 
The harvest for the last season’s crop has already started and ready for marketing, adds the release.
The venture, which also seeks to fulfill the desire of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling who has always encouraged for the cultivation of Baby Corn as a cash crop by local farmers, was a great success with the farmers showing more interest to take it in a larger scale from next season, the release claims.
The department has decided to strengthen the capacity of Baby Corn products at GFPF, Singtam from the present 750 cans per day to 4000 cans per day under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, the release adds.

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