Governor professes replacement of rice with millets, fruits in diet

Fruits, vegetables and flowers are part of India’s culture and there is a need for research to focus on medicinal plants as well, said Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan.

Addressing the students and faculty of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University (SKLTSHU) in Murugu, Sidipet district on Friday, during the university’s second convocation, she said that many students are engaged in farming and farming. He said he was happy to be there. Horticultural courses that serve the agricultural community and the country.

Horticultural colleges play a key role in increasing the production and productivity of vegetables and fruits, which are important components of a balanced diet. The importance and awareness of fruits, vegetables and flowers as balanced nutrition is felt even more during the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor said.

Great progress has been made in growing, marketing and exporting horticultural crops, she said, which is a good sign. It was time to improve the production, productivity and quality of all horticultural crops to make India nutritionally safe and healthy, she said.

The governor said several types of rice are available in Tamil Nadu, but milled rice is the most consumed in Telugu. emphasized the need to reduce the consumption of sugar and improve the composition of millet and fruit.

Anand Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticultural Sciences), Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), was a key guest at the convening, and is committed to promoting science and technology in light of the challenges of climate change. played an important role in increasing production. Productivity and quality of agricultural and horticultural crops.

In addition to using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, genome editing, biotechnology, and genetic engineering, Dr. Singh said that growing crops with market demand and reducing post-harvest losses are now required. I said yes. He suggested that researchers should aim to minimize resource input and maximize productivity.

B. Neeraja Prabhakar University Vice Chancellor explained the progress SKLTSHU has made in horticultural education, research and extension in a short period of time. A total of 575 degrees were awarded to students at the convocation. This includes 482 undergraduates, 76 graduates, 17 doctorates and 11 gold medals.