The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved new interventions in the Centrally sponsored Scheme on National Horticulture Mission which was launched during the X Five Year Plan from 2005-06.  Based on the feed back received during the implementation of the Scheme, new interventions such as High Density Plantations (HDP), Horticulture Mechanization and certification of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) have been included.  Besides, the cost norms of some of the activities like setting up of nurseries, area expansion, rejuvenation programmes and protected cultivation have been revisited and revised to provide better incentives to the farmers for adopting improved technologies and cultivars.  The cost norms and pattern of assistance for post harvest management (PHM) have been enhanced to encourage private sector participation in building PHM infrastructure.

            An outlay of Rs.10363.46 crore, with Government of India share of Rs.8809 crore (85%) has been proposed for implementing the Scheme during the XIth Five Year Plan.

            The focus of the Mission in its revised form will be on creating forward linkages in terms of post harvest management and marketing infrastructure both in public and private sectors involving pack houses/on farm collection centers, cold storage units, Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storages etc.

  The major outcome of the NHM will be as under:

·         Infrastructure facilities for primary processing and marketing of horticultural produce will be set up to meet/handle increased production and about 600 markets (including wholesale and rural markets) will be set up during the Plan period.  Besides, about 6200 PHM infrastructure facility would be created.

·         About 15.83 lakh hectares of land will be brought under horticulture crops through area expansion and 5.20 lakh hectares of old and senile orchards will be rejuvenated.

·         About 2500 new nurseries will be established in addition to revitalizing existing ones for making available good quality planting material.

·         Organic farming along with certification will be taken up in 2.21 lakh ha area.  Besides, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) will be taken up in 15 lakh hectares.

·         About 8235 water harvesting structures both community and individual will be constructed to augment ground water sources and provide irrigation to horticulture crops.

·         Approximately, 475 million man days of employment is expected to be generated during the Plan period though the interventions of the scale envisaged.  This implies additional employment to approximately 16 lakh people on regular basis.

The National Horticulture Mission (NHM) envisages holistic development of the horticulture sector by ensuring horizontal and vertical linkages with the active participation of all the stake-holders.  All the States and Union Territories are covered under the Mission except the eight North Eastern States including Sikkim and the States of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal which have been covered under the Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North Eastern States (TMNE).  Under the Scheme, a cluster based approach was adopted for covering potential horticultural crops in 344 districts (Out of 476 districts) in 18 States and two Union Territories.  Since the inception of the Scheme an amount of Rs.3503.12 crore was released, up to 2008-09 against which, an expenditure of Rs.3072.92 crore has been incurred.  The implementation of the Scheme has brought an area of 12.61 lakh ha under horticultural crops with development of 1217 post harvest management (PHM) units, 59 markets and 294 scientific infrastructural facilities.

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