Rajasthan farmers, who were earlier involved in mustard, maize, sorghum, barley and cotton farming, on Thursday sought help from Himachal Pradesh varsity in apple farming in their state.

Around 30 farmers from Ajmer district of Rajasthan during a training program under Agriculture Technological Management Agency (ATMA) at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF) expressed interest in growing ‘Anna’ variety of apple.

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The ‘anna’ variety of apple is suitable for warmer areas and the farmers are keen on its cultivation to improve their economy.

Apart from apple, the farmers also showed interest in beekeeping.

ATMA project Deputy Director Sourabh Garg said that the purpose of the training was to apprise the farmers about the latest developments in horticulture so that their income can be increased.

All the farmers showed a lot of interest in apple cultivation, beekeeping and post-harvest technology. University literature on beekeeping and horticulture was also provided to these farmers, he said.

“The participants were given information about a variety of horticulture crops and technology. In addition, they were also apprised about poly-house technology, floriculture, medicinal plants and vegetables cultivation,” he said.

Through farm practical and lectures, participants were also taught about soil and water analysis, post-harvest production techniques, fertilizers, pests and diseases associated with each crop.

The farmers, who were introduced to beekeeping through an expert lecture at the university, were highly drawn towards it prospects and wanted to undergo specialized training on the subject.