NEW DELHI, May 31: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today launched a programme for integrated and market-led development of 53 horticulture clusters, which have the potential to help 10 lakh farmers and attract Rs 10,000 crore investment.
The Minister launched Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP) in a virtual event, an official statement said.
Tomar highlighted that the programme will address all major issues related to the Indian horticulture sector including pre-production, production, post-harvest management, logistics, marketing and branding.
The programme is designed to leverage geographical specialisation and promote integrated and market-led development of horticulture clusters, he added.
The Ministry has identified 53 horticulture clusters, of which 12 have been selected on a pilot basis.
Stating that ‘Doubling farmers’ income is one of the biggest priorities of the Government, Tomar said the CDP will benefit about 10 lakh farmers and related stakeholders of the value chain.
With this programme, the Government aims to improve exports of the targeted crops by about 20 per cent
“CDP is expected to attract an estimated investment of INR 10,000 crore when implemented in all the 53 clusters,” the statement said.
The clusters of the pilot phase include Shopian (J&K) and Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh) for apple.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Kutch (Gujarat) and Mahbubnagar (Telangana) for mango; Anantpur (AP) and Theni (TN) for banana; Nasik (Maharashtra) for grapes; Siphahijala (Tripura) for Pineapple; Solapur (Maharashtra) and Chitradurga (Karnataka) for pomegranate; and West Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) for turmeric.
In his address, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said: “There is a need to develop such clusters throughout the country which will help the farmers with the small size of holdings through the formation of FPOs”.
Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal announced the appointment of Cluster Development Agencies (CDAs) in the selected clusters.
“The Cluster Development Programme will not only help in achieving economies of scale but also create cluster-specific brands to entrench them into national and global value chains bringing higher remuneration to the farmers,” he said. (PTI)
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