BANGALORE: Want to get fresh ripe apples right from the garden? One should rush to our very own Lalbagh Botanical Garden and catch the ‘Apple Show-2011’. Rare varieties of apples — Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Royal Delicious and Amri from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand and Maharashtra are on display and sale.The inter state horti fair sangam: Apple Show — 2011 is part of National Horticulture Board’s new initiative for promoting and marketing horticulture produce directly by the farmers themselves, said, state horticulture director, P Hemalatha, while inaugurating the show on Friday.Speaking to the media during the inauguration, Dharam Singh, assistant director, National Horticulture Board said, “Our chief aim is to provide a common platform for the farmers to sell their produce directly to the consumers without middlemen. In the process the farmers can save nearly about 15-20 per cent of the cost which otherwise goes to the middlemen.”Meanwhile the National Horticulture Board is also providing subsidy to the farmers through banks for setting up high-tech horticulture projects. Mentioning specifically about the apple show he said, “We have directly got the apple growers and their produce from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand. Besides, producers of other fruits, vegetables and fruit products from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra have been provided with the stalls.”In addition, space to store about 28 metric tons of apples have been made available for the farmers during the show, he said. Speaking to City Express, G M Banday, a fruit grower from Jammu and Kashmir said, “We have got three special varieties of apple grown in our own field. The Golden Delicious, is one of the best varieties of apples which is very sweet compared to other varieties.The Royal Delicious is very rich in vitamins and proteins. Above all the Amri variety, well known for its medicinal value which is not known to many in other states, is in high demand and is very expensive in Jammu and Kashmir.”“The best thing about these pesticide-free apples is that it can be preserved for quite a long time — about three to four months” he added.The apple show will be on till October 17 at Lalbagh Botanical Garden.
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