Rajasthan's Tonk region to be encouraged for guava growing

JAIPUR: Agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini has said that the farmers of Tonk district would be encouraged to cultivate and export guava. As the agro-climatic conditions of the district favours growing horticulture crops, the nursery at Devadawas near Tonk is cultivating 12 varieties of guava. Saini has said the nursery would soon start training farmers in guava cultivation and would also provide seed for the crop.
The agriculture minister has said that famous guava varieties from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra would be grown in the district so as to include it among the leading producers of the crop in the country.
As per the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) reports of 2013, quality guava were being grown in Uniara and Tonk blocks of the district. Lime was another notable horticulture crop that was being widely grown in Tonk and Niwai blocks in the region. Out of the net cultivated area of about 3.40 lakh hectare in the district, horticultural crops were being grown in an area of about 0.10 lakh hectare with an annual production of about 20000 MT.
The state government has sanctioned around Rs 2.60 crore for the Devadawas nursery with an aim to help Tonk farmers diversify into horticulture cultivation. The NHM reports noted that agro-ecological conditions of Tonk district were suitable to grow different varieties of horticultural crops like fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers, root and tuber crops, medicinal and aromatic crops.