National Horticulture Mission (NHM)

“Presently, India is the 2nd largest producer of fruits & vegetables in the world. “

A National Horticulture Mission has been launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to promote holistic growth of the horticulture sector through an area based regionally differentiated strategies. The scheme is fully funded by the Government and different components proposed for implementation financially supported on the scales laid down.

Horticulture is being promoted by the Department of Agriculture in mission mode for improving farm income, livelihood security and for enhancing employment generation. India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables.

All States and UTs are covered under the Mission except the states that are covered under the Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH).

The Mission endeavours for the holistic development of horticulture sector duly ensuring forward and backward linkages by adopting cluster approach, with the active participation of all stake-holders. At present, 372 districts in 18 States and 3 Union Territories have been covered under National Horticulture Mission (NHM).

Mission During Twelfth Plan

During the Twelfth Five Year Plan the National Horticulture Mission will integrate the several existing schemes in this sector and aim at holistic growth of horticulture sector, including bamboo, through area-based regionally differentiated strategies, which include research, technology promotion, extension, post-harvest management, processing and marketing, in consonance with comparative advantage of each State/region and its diverse agro-climatic features.

The Mission will also facilitate marketing reforms discouraging payment of unnecessary market levies and encouraging private investment for setting up horticulture produce markets. While continuing existing efforts, and aiming at 5 per cent growth of horticulture production during the Twelfth Plan, the main objective will be to build required capacities at State level, and assess their seriousness, so that the horticulture development related activities can be transferred fully to States by end of the Twelfth Plan.

Another objective will be to improve horticulture statistics which continue to be weak, lacking both a validated methodology for data collection of horticulture crops and adequate machinery to collect such data.Generation and dissemination of quality data can also help in averting frequent situations of gluts and shortages and exploitation of such situations by the middlemen and speculators.

DAC needs to take up a one-time horticulture census with the objective of generating reliable base line data. Further, as recommended by NSSO committee on improvement horticulture statistics, there is need to set up an extensive network of Horticulture Information Systems (HIS) with proper data units in all relevant districts and at State and Centre level covering all relevant aspects. To facilitate this, at least 3 per cent of Mission funds should be earmarked for this purpose.

With increasing per capita income, Indians are consuming more of fresh and processed horticultural products indicating growing scope of horticulture by improving crop productivity and efficiency in the value chains. The initiatives taken in the horticulture sector during the Tenth Five Year Plan have helped in achieving high growth in production.

During the Eleventh Five Year Plan, the growth rate of horticulture is expected to be 4.7 per annum, slightly short of the projected 5 per cent. There has been a marked push to the expansion in area under horticulture crops since taking up of a number of initiatives for horticulture development through NHB, TMNE (NE) and then NHM in 2005–06.