16K temperate fruit plants sold on Day 1 of Nauni varsity’s annual sale

A visible shift in diversifying fruit crops was noticed in the annual sale of plants by Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, with high demand for persimmon, kiwi and other stone fruits, alongside different varieties of apples. The change in demand was observed at the annual sale of temperate fruit plants, which kicked off on Monday at the university, as well as its Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and Regional Horticulture Research and Training Stations (RHRTSs) across the state.

Farmers from the state and neighbouring states flocked to these centres to purchase a wide range of fruit plants — including apple, pear, plum, apricot, peach, cherry, kiwi, walnut, persimmon, grapes and pomegranate.

On the first day of the sale, 537 farmers purchased over 16,173 plants from the three nurseries at the university’s main campus at Nauni — Fruit Science, Seed Science and Model Farm nurseries, as well as KVKs at Kandaghat and Rohru, and the RHRTSs in Mashobra (Shimla) and Sharbo (Kinnaur). The university’s RHRT centre at Bajaura, Kullu district, had started its sale on December 9.

During the first week, it provided over 11,512 plants of various fruit varieties to 292 farmers, contributing to the total number of plants sold, which now stands at 27,685 plants to 829 farmers.

The university has provided over 2 lakh plants for sale across all locations.

The sale is being conducted on a first-come-first-serve basis, and will continue in the coming days.