Fresh fruits importer IG International on Monday announced signing of an agreement with state-run Biotech Consortium India Ltd for propagation of 2.5 million rootstocks for apples, stone fruits, kiwifruit and citrus fruits.
BCIL (Biotech Consortium India Ltd) has played a key role in promoting the plant tissue culture sector in India and establishing the National Certification System for Tissue Culture Raised Plants (NCS-TCP) in the country by facilitating development of necessary standards, it said.
Shiv Kant Shukla, who heads Plant Tissue Culture Programme (PTCP) at BCIL, said the tissue culture raised rootstock will transform the agriculture landscape particularly in northern and north-east regions.
“There is a great need to promote adoption of this technology by progressive farmers by making quality plants available,” he said.
“Indian farmers will not have to look outside to get the planting material. We will produce them in India on a scale that caters to the demand of the country,” BCIL director (Finance and Operations) Tarun Arora said in a statement.
This move will also offer the best quality rootstocks for the farmers, he said, and added, “We are working on the topmost rootstocks for our climatic conditions. This will result in higher yields for existing crops.” PTI LUX HVA
