'Prepare strategies to enhance production'

MALDA, Sept. 16: Mr Mahanta Chatterjee, minister for food processing and horticulture, today held a meeting with the district administrative officials and review the programmes of national horticulture mission in Malda and Murshidabad districts. The minister today stressed to prepare plans and strategy to develop quality production of mangoes and litchis from now, not waiting for beginning of its season. The minister asked the horticulture officials to train farmers as well as traders for exporting their products. The horticulture departmental officials have been asked to increase cultivation of flowers and spice. Considering the demands of bulbous plants in floriculture sector in Malda district. The minister announced that the Malda district would be getting Rs 2.5 lakh to renovate at least 10 mango slice processing units. The district food processing and horticulture department has been asked to involve people's representatives up to gram panchayat level for preparing extensive programme of horticulture development. At a review meeting it was found that the districts could not achieve the targeted figure utilising the funds allotted from the national horticulture mission. The Malda officials, coming out of the meeting, said the performance of the tiny Malda is better than the big district Murshidabad on issue of utilisation of funds for national horticulture mission. n SNS