Role of National Horticulture Mission in Boosting the Production, Productivity and Income of Horticulture Farms

National Horticulture Mission(NHM) is launched in the year 2005-06 under the 10th five years plan. This scheme was promoted by the Government of India and the sponsorship amount shared between the center and state is about 60% and 40% respectively. But in the case of the North-East Indian state, this distribution is 90% and 10% respectively.

The main aim of this scheme is to increase the income of the farmers, increase horticultural products, reduce unemployment create new entrepreneurs, etc. One of the important branches of agriculture is Horticulture. At present 10% of the gross cropped area of our country is occurring by horticulture crops. India is the second-largest producer of fruit (almost 98 million tonnes) and vegetables (almost 188 million tonnes) in the world.

The horticulture sector comprises a wide variety of crops from vegetables like Potato, Tomato, etc., and fruits like Mangoes, Bananas, etc. to flowers, nuts, spices, medicinal plants, and plantation crops. It provides various opportunities for generating income for Horticultural Farms.

Role of NHM to Boost Productivity of Horticulture Farms:

1. Modernization of Agriculture

• The main aim of the NHM is to increase the production of the horticulture sector by modernizing the cultivation process. That means using modern technical equipment, organic fertilizer, eco-friendly pesticides, etc. which help farmers to increase their production. It will be clearly understood by elaborating following examples:
• 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.

2. 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. It was created in 1953 and the headquarters of the national tea board is in Kolkata.
• 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.

3. 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.
• These are benefitting farmers in several ways. Benefits are in the form of planting materials, organic/ biofertilizers, tools and equipment, types of machinery, transportation, collection centers, warehouses, cold storage, ripening chambers, market yards, protected cultivation structures, water structures, training, and so on. Apart from these, the collectives help create networks/ tie-ups with other stakeholders. Procurement of farmers’ produce, market linkages, inputs supply, and training and information are the major activities undertaken by the farmer collectives.

Role of NHM to increase Income of Farmers:

1. 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. At the aggregate level, before the implementation of the National Horticulture Mission program, the average area under horticulture was 0.71 ha which shows an increase to 1.01 ha post the adoption of the program. At the Pan-India level, the production of fruits cultivated area increased from 50.04% to 53.79% and flowers from 2.28 to 3.51%. All states show an increase in the percentage of the area following the utilization of benefits under this program.
• The staple crops such as oilseeds, cereals, and pulses occupy 76% of the total cropped area. Although, it contributes to only 41% of the total output. But, Interestingly, the almost same value was contributed by high-value crops such as fruits, vegetables, etc. Though, it occupies just 20% of the gross cropped area. That’s why the crops’ bifurcation is essential to increase a farmer’s income as well as productivity.
• For the last two decades, NHM has helped to reduce unemployment in rural areas and opened a new market opportunity for Horticulture crops. According to the surveyed beneficiaries, the descending order of sources of annual net income is Horticulture followed by Agriculture, self-business, salary/pension, livestock, and agricultural wages.  At the Pan-India level, the total annual net income has increased from Rs.9,200.84 lakh before the intervention to Rs.16,513.05 lakh post the intervention. Beneficiaries surveyed from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Kerala have gained extensive income from horticulture.
• At present India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China.
• In India’s agricultural GDP, the Horticultural sector contributes around 30%, which is very impressive.

2. Stability of income

• Under National Horticulture Mission, the price of horticulture crops is fixed by the boards. It ensures that depend on the traditional crop for the subsistence of the farmers be ensured.
• These horticultural crops play a vital role in the country’s GDP, Food security, nutritional security, poverty elevation, and employment generation. For the stabilization of overall growth, subsidies are important. 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.

3. 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. According to government data, in High-quality commercial crops, herbs, spices, Aromatic & Medicinal Plants, Seed & Nursery, Bio-Technology, micro-biology, bio-chemistry bio-diversity, tissue culture, and Bio-pesticides, Organic fertilizers, organic foods, bio-dynamic farming, vermin-compost, Beekeeping, and its products government provide ₹25 lakh per project in the plain area and ₹30 lakh per project in northeast India and hilly regions.
• On the other hand, different state governments, many foreign countries, and international institutions have come ahead to boost the horticulture sector in India. Such as Andhra Pradesh CM announced plans to spread horticulture across one-crore hectare. Himachal Pradesh had initiated Rs. 1,134 crore plan to recast its horticulture sector, aided by the World Bank. In the year 2016, the Haryana state government announced a plan to increase the horticulture cultivation area from 7% to 25%, to boost its horticulture sector by collaborating with the Netherlands.

In 2019-20, fruits and vegetables are estimated to contribute 31% and 60% of the total horticultural production. In 2021-22, the scheme has been allocated Rs 2,385 crore, which is almost 48% more than the revised estimate of the previous year.

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.