Innovative-&-Progressive-Rajasthan

Innovative &
Progressive
Rajasthan

Innovative &
Progressive
Rajasthan
On Cover:
Strawberries at the State Farm at Bassi near
Jaipur
Innovative &
Progressive Rajasthan
Considered a dry desert state,
Rajasthan is, in fact, a leading
contributor to India’s production of
many important crops.
Endowed with 10 agro-climatic zones,
the state has a vibrant and diversely
spread agri & animal husbandry sector.
Beyond convention, Rajasthan has
now forayed in the new-age crop
cultivation. For instance, keen on
adaptability and open-mindedness, we
have successfully cultivated olive, date
palm, dragon fruit, pomegranate,
strawberries, quinoa and many other
exotic crops.
With its appetite for innovation,
Rajasthan is open to new ideas to turn
our inherent constraints into strengths.
Lend a hand in our innovation mill.
Come, grow with us!

Quinoa Cultivation
Quinoa, a species of Goosefoot
(Chenopodium), is a pseudocereal that
contains, other than protein, essential
amino acids like lysine and accepted
quantities of calcium, phosphorus and
iron. It is a crop that is tolerant to dry
soil.
Keeping in mind the nutritional value of
quinoa, its rising demand in the
international market and higher returns
to farmers, the Department of
Agriculture has taken up the cultivation
at its Adaptive Trial Centre. The trials
will be laid out at the farmers’ fields in
Dungarpur, Chittorgarh and other
districts of the state in a phased
manner.
Olive Cultivation
A pilot project on Olive cultivation was
conceived after teams of farmers and
agriculture experts visited Israel to
study the technical feasibility and
economic viability of Olive cultivation in
Rajasthan.
The State Government decided to
promote Olive cultivation under publicprivate
partnership. Seven different
varieties viz. Barnea, Arbequina,
Cortina, Koronoiki, Picholine, Picual
and Frontion were planted at seven
different locations of the state,
covering an area of 182 ha.
An oil extraction plant has also been
installed at Loonkaransar in Bikaner
district.
Pomegranate Cultivation
Keeping in view the suitability of
pomegranate crop in Jalore, Barmer,
Jodhpur and other western districts of
Rajasthan, tissue culture pomegranate
plantation is being promoted in these
districts. As a result, 4000 ha land is
covered under this crop and the fruit
has been branded as 'Thar Anar'.
Therefore, a Center of Excellence for
Pomegranate has been established at
Bassi. This centre is engaged in the
production of quality planting material,
providing technical know-how and
organising seminars, workshops, etc.

Date palm Cultivation
As western parts of Rajasthan are
geo-climatically suited for Date Palm
cultivation, the state has been
promoting it in following ways:
§ Establishment of date palm farms
at Bikaner and Jaisalmer state
farms over 135 ha
§ Establishment of Tissue Culture
Laboratory at Jodhpur in PPP
mode to meet the emerging
demand of local farmers. The lab
will start production of plants from
the year 2017-18
§ Distribution of imported tissue
cultured plants to the farmers in 12
districts of the state - Jaislamer,
Barmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Churu,
Nagaur, Sri Ganganagar,
Hanumangarh, Jalore, Pali, Sirohi
and Jhunjhunu - covering an area
of 808 ha. 2016-17 will see
additional 150 ha area of land
covered.
§ For providing training on different
aspects of Date Palm cultivation, a
Centre of Excellence has also been
established at Sagra Bhojka,
Jaisalmer under Indo-Israel
Agriculture Project
Dragon Fruit Cultivation
Dragon Fruit has sufficient amount of
fat, protein, vitamins and minerals and
its benefits include control of various
diseases like diabetes, cholesterol,
arthritis, obesity and asthma.
Keeping in view the various
advantages of dragon fruit, the
Government has decided to introduce
the crop in different locations of the
state. The plantation of dragon fruit is
being taken up at Jaipur, Tonk, Kota
and Jhunjhunu.
Organic Dungarpur
Rajasthan has taken various steps
towards making its products organic.
One of the steps has been to declare
Dungarpur as an ‘Organic District’ over
a period of time by converting
inorganic practices into organic ones.
Sufficient funds have been year

marked for training programmes and
exposure visits of farmers while
promoting the use of vermi compost.
Introduction of exotic crops
Efforts are being made to introduce
new crops that are cultivated in similar
climatic conditions in other parts of the
world.
§ Strawberry has been introduced
within Rajasthan at Bassi, Jaipur.
The results have been encouraging.
§ Green House cultivation of
capsicum, cherry tomatoes,
tomatoes, cucumber, etc. has also
been introduced in the state and
has been found suitable by
farmers.
§ Similarly, the cultivation of exotic
flowers like Gladiolus, Lilium,
Gerbera, Rose, Carnations has
been undertaken in both, open
fields, as well as under shade-net
houses. The results were found to
be viable for farmers.
§ The exotic cole crops and others
like Chinese Cabbage, Red
Cabbage, Broccoli, Knol-Khol, Leek,
Summer Squash, etc. have also
been successfully cultivated at
Bassi near Jaipur and are being
adopted by farmers in the state.
§ The natural alternative to sugar i.e.
Stevia has also been successfully
cultivated at Bassi.
Now, protected cultivation technologies
have become popular and are being
promoted in almost all parts of the
state with high levels of acceptability
by the farmers.
Centres of Excellence
With a view to promote technology
based inputs and practices among the
farmers, six Centres of Excellence are
under various stages of development
with Israeli co-operation. The six
centers are: Citrus at Kota,
Pomegranate at Jaipur, Guava at Tonk,
Mandarin at Jhalawar, Mango at
Dholpur and Date Palm at Jaisalmer.