STAR ATTRACTION: A `farmer' made of vegetables on display at Horticultural Trade Fair at Necklace Road.

HYDERABAD: Government is determined to take up alternative development strategies to tide over the drought situation, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy said here on Wednesday.

Inaugurating the five-day Horticulture Trade Fair-2006 at People's Plaza, Neckla

ce Road, he said horticulture crops would enable farmers to earn more, recalling their income was meagre due to lack of marketing facilities for traditional produce.

Assistance

Dr. Reddy said Government had secured Rs. 100-crore assistance from the Horticulture Mission and would use it to increase the horticulture crop area in the State. Government was planning to take up pongamia plantation in 50 lakh acres over three years with projected yields valued between Rs. 8,000 - Rs. 10,000 an acre after ten years.

Ministers--N. Raghuveera Reddy and S. Vijayarama Raju--officials of the Horticulture Department, which is organising the fair, and a large number of farmers attended the inaugural. The fair will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Anil Punita, Director-Horticulture said there were 170 stalls in which Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, J&K, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal were participating. Israel and Taiwan too have set up their stalls.

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