Pune, Dec 20: The central government has decided to establish a major floriculture centre at Rajgurunagar, about 45 kms from here, in a bid to reach out to the small farmer who may not be able to afford technical consultants. This is the first of nine such centres the central government proposes to set up.

The centre will be established at a cost of Rs 1 crore and is expected to impart training, which will allow farmers to compete with major multinationals eying the Indian market.

``The thrust is now on indigenisation,'' said Krishna Lavekar, director of horticulture, government of Maharashtra. The composite project is also expected to comprise a gene bank of exotic flowers which will prove to be of great help to the farmer who has to rely on the expensive imported variety, he added. Lavekar, who expects the floriculture market to bloom by 15 per cent in the next three years, said that the centre at Rajgurunagar will have a model greenhouse, nursery facilities and a tissue culture house. The centre is expected to be completed within the next two years.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.