Kerala to support farming of jamun, dragon fruit
The Hindu
They are among 10 fruits to be promoted by State Horticulture Mission under Centrally assisted scheme
Desi fruit Njaval, or jamun as it is called in many parts of India, and the flashy-looking dragon fruit which is native to the Americas are among ten indigenous and exotic fruits whose cultivation is being actively promoted by the State Horticulture Mission (SHM) this year. This is the first time that the Njaval (Syzygium cumini) has found a place on the mission’s list of fruit trees/plants whose cultivation would be supported under the Centrally assisted Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM). Though ‘Njaval pazham’ is a familiar fruit which evokes sweet nostalgia for Keralites, farmers here have not explored its commercial possibilities to any great extent. Even today one would be hard-pressed to find this oblong, shiny-black, sour-sweet fruit, which leaves a purplish stain on the tongue, on sale in most fruit shops.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.