National Missions
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) has been launched 2014 onwards for implementation during the 12th Plan with the objective of holistic development of horticulture in the country. MIDH will integrate and subsume 6 ongoing schemes of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation on horticulture development viz. 3 Centrally Sponsored Schemes of National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH), National Bamboo Mission (NBM), and three Central Sector Schemes viz. National Horticulture Board (NHB), Coconut Development Board (CDB) and the Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland. The interventions under MIDH will have a blend of technological adaptation supported with fiscal incentives for attracting farmers as well as entrepreneurs involved in the horticulture sector.
India has a wide and varied horticulture base that includes fruits, vegetables, tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, medicinal and aromatic plants, flowers and foliage and plantation crops like coconut, areacanut, cashewnut, cocoa and bamboo. The horticulture sector acts as an engine of growth for the rural economy while providing food and nutritional security to the people. MIDH has provided necessary stimulus to the horticulture sector, and its implementation is expected to achieve a healthy growth rate of 7.2 % in the horticulture sector during the 12th Plan, besides generating skilled and unskilled employment opportunities in rural and urban areas. The scheme will cover all States and Union Territories (UTs) of India. While NHM will focus on 18 States and UTs, HMNEH will cover all States in the North East as well as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand under Himalayan region. These missions address the entire spectrum of horticulture from production to consumption through backward and forward linkages, focusing on small and marginal farmers.
The main objectives of the NHB are to improve integrated development of Horticulture industry and to help in coordinating, sustaining the production and processing of fruits and vegetables. It includes the development of hi-tech commercial horticulture in identified belts and making such areas vibrant with horticultural activity and thereby, hubs for development of horticulture. CDB addresses the integrated development of coconut cultivation and industry in the country with focus on productivity increase and product diversification. NBM envisages promoting holistic growth of bamboo sector by adopting area-based, regionally differentiated strategy and to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing of bamboo and bamboo based handicrafts.
The objectives of MIDH include the production of quality seeds and planting material, production enhancement through productivity improvement measures, support for creation of infrastructure to reduce post harvest losses, development of integrated, energy efficient cold chain infrastructure for fresh horticulture produce, popularization of identified new technologies/ tools/ techniques for commercialization/ adoption, after carrying out technology and need assessment and improved marketing of produce with active participation of all stake holders, particularly farmer groups and farmer producer organizations. The Mission will cover about 4.5 lakh hectares under rejuvenation of senile plantation, 0.18 lakh hectares under protected cultivation besides bringing about 11 lakh hectares under new horticultural crops along with establishment of about 19,000 post harvest management and market infrastructure.