NE suitable for horticulture

The North East is very rich in horticulture and floriculture and there is also a rich variety of medicinal plants which are grown in the region, stated a PIB release.The strategy for agriculture, which envisions a shift in farming from subsistence to cash-crop farming will lead to the expansion of what is now a nascent horticulture sector. Since farmers are naturally risk-averse, effecting changes in their cropping patterns will not be easy, unless gains from doing so are clearly demonstrated, the release said. With funds from the Central Government Horticulture Mission, States like Mizoram, Sikkim and Meghalaya have established Centres of Excellence in Horticulture which have started spreading the idea of fruit and vegetable cultivation among farmers successfully, the release added.