-
Research
& Market Intelligence: The Mission will be demand-driven
in each segment. Information Communication Technology (ICT) will be
widely used for purposes of market and commodity forecasts. Such real
time forecasts will form the basis of crop-wise/commodity expansion.
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The
programmes under horticultural research will concentrate on technology
generation as appropriate to each region/state keeping in view their
specific agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions. Emphasis will be
on effective transfer and dissemination of production technologies
available in
India
and
abroad. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in
association with State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and other
research institutes/organizations in the public and private s`ectors
having capabilities in this area will be partners in the research
programmes. Field experience of growers will be drawn upon to shape
and design necessary interventions.
Research programmes towards this end will be guided by Research
Advisory Committee (RAC) and will address identified and emerging
needs in the areas of planting material, production technology, post
harvest technology, processing and value addition. Such research
projects will work in tandem with Strategic Research Extension
Programme (SREP) at the District level under the Agricultural
Technology Management Agencies (ATMA) with orientation and focus on
horticulture. Agencies taking up research projects would be provided
100% assistance in the public and private sectors provided such
endeavors are in public interest.
-
Production
& Productivity Improvement: The Mission will specially
focus on increasing both production and productivity through adoption
of improved technologies for ensuring quality, including genetic up
gradation of all horticultural crops. Special emphasis will be given
on adoption of a cluster approach for developing regionally
differentiated crops, which are most suitable for the state/region.
Availability of good quality planting material being central to the
development of horticulture, will receive focused attention and
efforts will be made to create necessary infrastructure in the form of
nurseries and upgrade existing tissue culture units. This will be
supplemented with plantation development programmes through addition
of new areas under improved varieties, to meet current market demand
and future trends too.
-
The
low productivity of perennial fruits, like mango, citrus, apple and
the plantation crops, like coconut and cashew nut is, primarily, due
to small size of holdings, the preponderance of old and senile trees
and poor management of inputs such as water, nutrients and pesticides.
The thickly shaded mango orchards in the Malihabad areas of Uttar
Pradesh, seedling orchards of guava, pear, kinoo and other citrus
fruits throughout the country, including disease affected pepper,
cardamom, coconut and cashew plantations are commonly seen in large
tracts in different parts of the country. These have brought down the
average productivity. Under the NHM, it is proposed to take up
productivity improvement programmes within such senile plantations
through removal of senile plantations, replantation with fresh stock
supported with appropriate and integrated combination of inputs,
pruning and grafting techniques. The Programme will be implemented
through farmers’ cooperatives, self-help groups, NGOs, growers’
associations and commodity organizations.
-
Vertical
growth will be enhanced through methods that address protected
cultivation, promotion of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM),
Integrated Pest Management (IPM), use of honey bees as agents for
cross pollination etc. Besides, precision farming and fertigation
techniques will be adopted, on pilot scale, for selected crops like
banana, grapes, pomegranate, capsicum, tomato, chilly, cashew and
flowers, like rose, carnation, gerbera, anthurium and orchids for
improving their stock, productivity and quality.
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Post
Harvest Management & Marketing: Post harvest management
would aim at creating suitable infrastructure for efficient post
harvest management and marketing of horticulture produce. Market
promotional activities would include dissemination of market
information to the farmers, processors, traders, and consumers.
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Special
impetus would be provided to promote the export of horticultural
produce through Agri-Export Zones, for which there is potential global
market. The National Horticulture Board, Directorate of Marketing and
Inspection, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), North
Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC),
Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development
Federation (TRIFED) and Agriculture and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority (APEDA) will be involved for the purpose.
It is proposed to make use of the existing schemes of the
National Horticulture Board (NHB), Directorate of Marketing and
Inspection (DMI) and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)
and Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) to the maximum
possible extent. Through the medium of Contract Farming, farmers will
be encouraged to enter into legal arrangements with the corporate
sector for ensuring supply of quality inputs and buy back arrangement
on remunerative prices. Assistance for setting up markets will be
linked with market reforms and preference will be given only to those
States which amend their State Agricultural Produce Marketing Acts for
facilitating alternate marketing by the farmers/farmer groups involved
in horticulture. Several States have already taken steps to amend the
Agriculture Produce Marketing Act (APMC) and included a chapter on
Contract Farming in keeping with the model Act circulated by the
Central Government. The Rules supporting the model Act provide the
legal framework and support the facilitation of this arrangement.
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Processing:
The Mission will focus on promotion of processing of horticultural
produce and value addition by providing incentives for setting up of
horticulture processing industries and food parks in potential areas
and provide linkages between the markets, the horticulture
producer/produce and the processing industry. This activity will be
integrated with the schemes of the Ministry of Food Processing
Industries (MFPI) and implemented through agencies, like NCDC, NHB,
private sector, corporates, cooperatives and others having expertise
in food processing. These programmes will be credit-linked through
Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)/Industrial Development Bank
of India (IDBI)/State Financial Corporations.
Assistance will be extended to NGOs, Self-Help Groups,
Cooperatives, and Growers’ Associations for setting up these units.
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The
institutional arrangements for implementing the four major components
of the project (i.e. research, production, processing and marketing)
will be varied - and a mix of either, or cooperatives (NDDB pattern)
incorporated companies, individual entrepreneurs, State Government
undertakings, for one, or any of the recognized activities.
State Governments will be free to choose their own model,
create, or orient existing institutions to carry forward the
objectives of the
Mission
in a
holistic manner.
-
Presently,
horticulture development programmes are being implemented through a
number of Schemes viz. NHB programmes, Coconut Development Programmes,
TMNE, HRD in Horticulture, Integrated Development of Horticulture in
Tribal and Hilly Areas and Horticulture Programmes under the Macro
Management Scheme. Of
these, it is proposed to subsume the schemes on HRD, Tribal Areas and
Programmes under Macro Management. The NHB programmes are
entrepreneur-driven and the Board would provide a launching pad for
the
Mission
, by way
of pooling experts and housing the Technical Support Group. Programmes
under TMNE are focused for the development of the North Eastern and
Himalayan
States
, for
which the pattern of assistance and the Institutional arrangement for
implementation are different from the rest of the country.
The Coconut Development Board (CDB), which has been created
through an Act of Parliament for overseeing the development of coconut
in the country, would implement coconut development programmes.
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