|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Centre strengthens support for protected cultivation under MIDH
|
|
Saturday, 01 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Our Bureau, Mumbai
|
The Central Government is strengthening institutional, technical and financial support for protected cultivation under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at the holistic development of India's horticulture sector.
Under the scheme, farmers receive assistance to adopt protected cultivation technologies through State Horticulture Missions, Technical Support Groups (TSGs), Precision Farming Development Centres (PFDCs), Centres of Excellence (CoEs), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes, State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and other recognised institutions.
The National Horticulture Board (NHB) is also supporting the sector through initiatives such as the Clean Plant Programme and the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme. Centres of Excellence established under MIDH function as demonstration and training centres while also supplying elite planting material and vegetable seedlings for protected cultivation.
The government has established 61 crop-specific Centres of Excellence under collaborations with Israel and the Netherlands, as well as through research institutes. These centres promote advanced cultivation practices and provide training to farmers and field-level functionaries under the Human Resource Development (HRD) component of MIDH.
The MIDH operational guidelines do not contain any specific provision for engaging NGOs or private sector entities. However, under the scheme's Mission Management component, 2.5 per cent of the total annual allocation is provided to State Horticulture Missions for managing activities at the state and district levels.
The scheme also supports the strengthening of institutional infrastructure for protected cultivation through PFDCs, Centres of Excellence, State Horticulture Missions, NHB, ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras. Financial and technical assistance is available for the construction of protected cultivation structures such as polyhouses, shade-net houses, plastic and non-woven tunnels, and walk-in tunnels.
In addition, the National Horticulture Board promotes protected cultivation on a commercial scale by supporting integrated horticulture production and processing projects. Assistance covers key components including quality planting material, plantations, irrigation, fertigation and mechanisation, helping boost productivity and modernise horticulture practices across the country.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|