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Horticuture

Q. What are the challenges associated with horticulture in India? Assess the role of the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in boosting the production, productivity, and income of horticulture farms in India.

Answer

Horticulture is the art and science of cultivation of various fruits , vegetables, spices condiments, ornamental, plantation, medicinal and aromatic plants.

Horticulture: India’s status

• India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China.
• India’s horticulture production is estimated to be 63 Million Tonne in the year 2022.
• India ranks first in the world in the production of several fruits including banana, mango, guava, papaya lime and lemon, and okra.
• Horticulture contributes to ~30 percent of agriculture GDP and utilizes only 13 percent of gross cropped area.

Challenges

• Horticulture does not enjoy a safety net like the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for foodgrains.
• Lack of good cold chain storage and transport networks to extend the life of perishable products.
• Very less or limited input by machinery and equipment so it is tough to minimise the time restraints.
• Higher input costs than foodgrains make it a difficult set up, especially when there is no support from the local governments to the smaller farmers.
• It gets challenging for marginal farmers to cope with the high price fluctuations.
• Limited availability of market intelligence, mainly for exports makes it a tougher option to choose.

Role of NHM to Boost Productivity of Horticulture Farms:

Modernization of Agriculture

• There is a modern planting system which is called the High-density planting system. It is used to standardize mango, banana, papaya, etc., and to increase their productivity.
• Multispecies cropping systems is a cropping system that is used to standardize coconut, oil palm, etc.
• Production technologies for Kharif season of onion in North India and long day type onions for high altitude.
• Standardized protected cultivation is a technique that is used to produce capsicum, rose, gerbera, cactus, strawberry, tomato, cucumber, etc.

Coordinated with various Integrated Board of Governance

• To look after the growth of the horticulture sector, the government has created a national horticulture board. The work of this board is to streamline the rules and norms which would help to increase production.
• The board monitors the production quality, production growth, and advice from time to time regarding the horticultural product.
• They also provide a worldwide stage for marketing and selling the product. Such as – The National Tea Board of India is a state agency of the Government of India and it is established to promote the processing, cultivation, and domestic trade as well as export of tea from India.
• National Coffee Board is coming under the ministry of commerce and industry. The headquarters of the National Coffee Board is in Bangalore. This is created to increase coffee production, promote it in India as well as abroad, conduct coffee research, provide financial assistance, etc.
• Coconut Development Board is coming under the ministry of agriculture and was established in the year 1981. The headquarters of the National Coconut board is in Kochi. The main objective of this board is to develop coconut and coconut-related products.

Training for Entrepreneurs and Farmers

• National Horticulture Mission conducts training to develop the skills of entrepreneurs. Through various programs they were trained in the basic skill of grafting, planting different types of plants, proper using of pesticides, using good quality seeds, storage, harvesting, etc. They also provided knowledge about the use of tools and equipment.
• Under NHM, A General Body is formed which selects the Board of Directors, staff, and other professionals needed for running the FPOs/FPCs. The main activities of FPOs/FPCs include input supply, technical, financial, insurance, procurement, packaging, marketing, and networking. Discussions held with nodal officers and other officers of SHM reveal that many farmer collectives are established under the MIDH (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture) program.

Role of NHM to increase Income of Farmers

Alternative sources of income

• NHM helps farmers to diversify agriculture from conversation crops to high-value crops. It offers great scope to improve the income of the farmers. The cropping pattern of horticultural crops before and after availing of the benefits under the NHM program is impressive.

Stability of income

• The government provides 35% subsidies for vegetables and fruit seeds, 40% subsidies for hi-tech equipment, 50% subsidies for small horticulture nurseries, and 40% subsidies for flower cultivation. All those subsidies are done to ensure the stability of the income of the farmers.
• The government is also trying to ensure end-to-end support on post-harvest management, marketing, production, and processing to secure proper returns to producers.
• The Indian government is also trying to add some Horticultural products under MSP to stabilize the income of the farmers.

Farmer’s Access To Agricultural Credit

• National Horticulture Board provides financial assistance to the farmers as per their needs. Through several schemes, banks, and financial institutions, supply credits to the farmers.
• On the other hand, different state governments, many foreign countries, and international institutions have come ahead to boost the horticulture sector in India.

Conclusion

NHM has changed farming practices in our country. It is happening by joining horticulture cultivation in conventional farming. It has increased the production and the income of the country as well as of the farmers. According to the estimate for 2020-21, horticulture production reached 312 million tonnes which are 4.6% higher than the previous year. This will prove helpful in increasing the income of the farmers.