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Government enhances MIDH financial assistance
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Monday, 03 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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The Central Government has revised the operational guidelines of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) in 2025, substantially increasing financial assistance for horticultural crops such as orange, kinnow, cumin and isabgol in response to rising input and labour costs. The revision follows requests from stakeholders and reflects the increased cost of quality planting material, fertilisers, irrigation systems and post-harvest infrastructure, while also incorporating newer technologies in horticulture.
Under the revised guidelines, financial support has been enhanced across several crop categories compared to the 2014 norms. For citrus crops, including orange and kinnow, assistance for orchard establishment has been increased to Rs1.25 lakh per hectare for regular spacing, Rs 2 lakh per hectare for high-density planting and Rs 3 lakh per hectare for ultra-high-density planting. Earlier, the cost norm was Rs1 lakh per hectare without drip irrigation and Rs1.5 lakh per hectare with drip integration for high-density orchards. The subsidy pattern remains unchanged at 40% for general areas and 50% for North Eastern and hilly regions, with support available for up to four hectares per beneficiary.
The revised guidelines have also enhanced support for seed spices such as cumin, with the cost norm rising from Rs 30,000 per hectare to Rs 50,000 per hectare. The assistance is aimed at promoting improved seed, integrated nutrient management (INM), integrated pest management (IPM) and scientific cultivation practices, while retaining the existing subsidy of 40% in general areas and 50% in North Eastern and hilly states.
In a major addition, medicinal and aromatic plants, including isabgol, have been brought under the MIDH scheme for the first time. These crops are now eligible for a cost norm of Rs 1.5 lakh per hectare with subsidy support ranging from 40% to 50%, covering quality planting material, cultivation and value-chain development.
Meanwhile, the Centre clarified that relief to farmers affected by natural calamities continues to be governed by the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM). State Governments remain primarily responsible for providing relief through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), while additional assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is considered only for calamities of a severe nature based on memoranda submitted by the respective states. The government reiterated that assistance under SDRF and NDRF is intended as relief and not as compensation.
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