21 Mar

Horticulture

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Contents

• Total Production
• Some Individual Crops
• Spices
• Lotus-NAMOH 108

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1) TOTAL PRODUCTION

• Horticulture sectors comprise a wide array of crops from fruits and vegetables to nuts, spices, medicinal plants, flowers, and plantation crops, provides many opportunities for income generation.

Total Horticulture	2021-22 (Final)	2022-23 (First Adv. Est.)	2022-23 (Second Adv. Est.)
Area (in million hectares)	28.04	28.28	28.12
Production (in million tonnes)	347.18	350.87	351.92

• Globally
  • India is the 2nd largest producer of fruits and vegetables. China is the largest vegetable producer, but it produces four times that of India. It shows that India has a long way to go in terms of vegetable production.
  • India is the largest producer of mango, banana, coconut, cashew, papaya and Pomegranate.
  • India is also largest producer and exporter of spices.

A) SCHEME: HORTICULTURE CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (CDP)

• It is a central sector program implemented by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• It aims at growing and developing horticulture clusters to make them globally competitive.
  • Total 53 clusters have been identified for the program, but initially in pilot phase, the CDP would be implemented in 12 clusters. Later, based on learning from the pilot phase, the program would be extended to all 53 clusters.
• The program is designed to leverage the geographical specialization and promote integrated and market led development of horticulture clusters.
• It will address all major issues related to Indian horticulture sector including pre-production; production; post-harvest management; logistics; marketing and branding.
• Expected benefits:
  » Benefit 10 lakh farmers; improve exports of targeted crops by at least 20%; create a cluster specific brand for better recognition and competitiveness of cluster crops; attract investment of around 10,000 crores when implemented in all 53 clusters.
  » The Clusters of the pilot phase include Shopian (J&K) and Kinnaur (H.P) for Apple; Lucknow (UP), Kutch (Gujarat) and Mahbubnagar (Telangana) for Mango; Anantapur (A.P.) and Theni (T.N.) for Banana, Nasik (Maharashtra) for Grapes, Siphahijala (Tripura) for Pineapples, Solapur (Maharashtra) and Chitradurga (Karnataka) for Pomegranate and West Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) for Turmeric.
  » These clusters will be implemented through Cluster Development Agencies (CDAs) which are appointed on the recommendations of the respective State/UT Government.
• The program will converge with other initiative of the Government such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) which is a medium – long term financing facility for investment in projects for post-harvest management of infrastructure and community farming assets and will leverage the central sector schemes of the Ministry for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs).

B) MISSION FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF HORTICULTURE (MIDH)

• All erstwhile schemes (National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayas (HMNEH), National Horticulture Board [NHB], Coconut Development Board [CDB], Central Institute for Horticulture, and National Bamboo Mission [NBM] have been subsumed under MIDH during the 12th Plan.
• MIDH was introduced in 2014-15.
  » The interventions include introducing improved varieties and quality seeds, incentives for plantation crops, cluster development, and post-harvest management.
  » According to third advance estimates (2021-22), a record production of 342.3 million tonnes in an area of 28.0 million hectares was achieved.
  » The government has identified 55 horticulture clusters, of which 12 have been selected for the Cluster Development Programme (CDP) pilot phase. This programme is designed to leverage the geographical specialisation of horticulture clusters and promote integrated and market-led development of pre-production, production and post-harvest activities, including the entire supply chain.
• Capacity Building of Farmers by organizing them in farmer producer Organization [FPO]/ Farmer Producer Companies [FPC] is an added feature of MIDH.

C) PROJECT CHAMAN (COORDINATED HORTICULTURE ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT USING GEO-INFORMATICS)

• Launched in 2014 under MIDH.
• Here remote sensing technology is used for generating action plan and strategic development of horticulture sector as also to increase the farmer’s income.
• It is being implemented by the Delhi based Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC).
  » It helps in identifying right crop for right weather conditions; methods for calculating reliable estimates; creating digital inventory; identifying areas of high post harvest losses etc.
  » It helps in managing inflation by giving correct estimates of agri-products.

D) ATMANIRBHAR HORTICULTURE CLEAN PLANT PROGRAM

In order to promote the availability of disease free, quality planting material of high value horticultural crops, Government has initiated “Atma Nirbhar Clean Plant Programme” at an estimated cost of Rs.2200 crore for a period of 7 years (2024-30) with 50% assistance from Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The objectives of Atma Nirbhar Clean Plant Programme are:

i. To enhance yield of horticulture crops by providing disease free planting material, dissemination and adoption of climate resilient varieties.
ii. To protect ecosystem through proactive virus and disease control measures by establishing Clean Plant Centres (CPCs).
iii. To enhance stakeholder capacities for the adoption and operation of clean plant production, maintenance, and distribution.
iv. To improve the knowledge network among research institutes, universities, knowledge centers, national and state agencies for sustainable operation of clean plant centers and nursery certification programs.

2) SOME INDIVIDUAL CROPS

A) ONION

• India is the second largest producer of onion (19.9% of world production) after China.
• In India, Maharashtra(around 32%) is the largest producer of onion followed by Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
  • The district of Nasik (around 40% of MHA production) of Maharashtra is famous for production of onion.
• India has three onion crops a year
  • Early kharif: (onion comes to market between October and December)
  • Late Kharif (rangda): Crop arrive between Jan and March
  • Rabi Crop: available for sale from April to May

B) TOMATO

• Introduction
  • Among the vegetables consumed in India, Tomato ranks 3 after potato and Onion, but globally it is the 2nd most consumed vegetable after Potato.
    • Note: Botanically, tomatoes fit the definition of fruit as they form from a flower and contain seeds.
  • In terms of area under tomato cultivation and in terms of total production, India ranks 2nd in the world.
    • The major tomato producing countries in the world are China, India, USA, Turkey and Egypt.
• About Tomato production in India
  • India’s total tomato production is around 20 million tonnes. It peaked in 2019-20 at 21.187 million tonnes and has been declining since. The production in 2021-22 dropped to 20.69 MT and 20.62 MT in 2022-23.
  • It is typically a 90-100 day crop that starts yielding fruits 60-70 days after transplantation.
    • The seeds are first sown in nursery beds to raise seedlings that are transplanted in fields after around 25 days.
    • Production happen in flushes.
  • There are two major crops of tomato annually – Kharif and Rabi.
  • There are two main crops of tomato grown in the country.
    1. The first one transplanted from around mid-June in Central and South India (places such as Shivpuri, Sagar in MP, Nasik In MHA, Madanapalle in AP, Kolar and Mysore in Karnataka and Dindigul in TN) and mid-July to Aug in North India (Jhalawar and Jaipur-chomu belt in Rajasthan; Sonabhadra, Varanasi, Lucknow, Bareilly and Agra in Uttar Pradesh) and stretching to end of Sep in Eastern India (Purulia in West Bengal, Buxar in Bihar and Ranchi
       in Jharkhand)
       • The autumn to late kharif crop supplies the market from Sep onwards. This along with a smaller rabi crop transplanted during October-November, contributes to the familiar low tomato prices through the winter.
    2. The second main crop is transplanted during January-February. This is a longer duration crop typically taking 130-150 days, yielding an average of 25 tonnes per acres.
       • This is the summer tomato as it is harvested during May-July is grown mostly in regions where maximum temperature don’t go beyond the mid-to-late thirties range during the flowering and fruiting season.
       • Such conditions are mostly found in relatively cool or hilly areas such as Madanapalle, Mysore, Kolar in Karnatka; Sangamner and Narayangaon in Maharashtra, or Solan and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
• Why increase in Prices:
  • Dip in overall tomato production due to:
    1. Lower acreage of tomato
    2. Extreme Weather Conditions
       1. Heatwaves and High temperatures in April and May along with delayed Monsoon showers in southern India and Maharashtra led to attack on tomato crops.
          • Farmers in Maharashtra have said their tomato crop was impacted by attacks of the Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) and growers in Karnataka ad other South Indian States have blamed the Tomato Mosaic virus (ToMV) for crop loss.
       2. Later, incessant rains in tomato-growing regions further affected the new crop and also made transportation to non-growing regions difficult.
    3. Low commercial realization of the crop for farmers in the months of June as well as the last year.
    4. Seasonal Fluctuation: July and August are the lean tomato production.
• Other general challenges:
  » Perishability of tomato is much higher than Onion and Potato.
  » Supply chain issues in transporting the vegetable from areas where it is grown to regions where it is not compounds the problem.

C) CUCUMBER MOSAIC VIRUSE AND TOMATO MOSAIC VIRUS (JULY 2023)

• Farmers in Maharashtra have said their tomato crop was impacted by attacks of the Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) and growers in Karnataka ad other South Indian States have blamed the Tomato Mosaic virus (ToMV) for crop loss.
• The two plan pathogens have similar names and cause similar damage to crops, but they belong to different viral families, and spread differently.
• About Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV):
  » It belongs to the Virgaviridae family and is closely related to the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV).
  » Hosts: ToMV hosts include tomato, tobacco, peppers, and certain ornamental plants.
  » Spreading mechanism: It mainly spreads through infected seeds, saplings, agricultural tools and often, through the hands of nursery workers who have failed to sanitize themselves before entering the field. It would require only few infected saplings for virus to take over an entire field in matter of days.
  » In the present case, farmers have blamed seed manufacturers and nurseries.
• About Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV)
  » It was first identified in cucumber in 1934, which gave the virus its name.
  » Hosts: It has much larger host pool that include cucumber, melon, eggplant, tomato, carrot, lettuce, celery, cucurbits (member of gourd family, including squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds, etc.) and some ornamentals.
  » Spreading mechanism: They spread by aphids, which are sap-sucking insects. CMV too can spread through human touch, but the chances of that are extremely low.
• Impact of these viruses:
  • Both viruses can cause almost 100% crop loss unless properly treated on time.
    • The foliage of plants infected by ToMV shows alternating yellowish and dark green areas, which often appears as blisters on the leaves. Distortion of leaves and twisting of younger leaves are also symptoms. The fruit develops necrotic spots, which leads to overripening. Younger plants are dwarfed, and fruit setting is affected.
    • CMV too causes distortion of leaves, but the pattern is different. Often leaves at the top and bottom are distorted while those in the middle remain blemish free. Overall, it causes stunting and lower production.
• Controlling these viruses:
  • Following biosafety standards in nurseries, and compulsory seed treatment to stop spread of ToMV.
  • Awareness among farmers: Farmers who buy trays of saplings should check before planting and discard any visible infected material. They should also look for signs of infection during cropping cycle and remove any infected plants without allowing it to touch the healthy ones.
  • Any eye must be kept on aphid migration so that measures can be taken while planting the crop.

3) SPICES

A) SPICE BOARD OF INDIA

• Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices.
  » The Board is an international link between the Indian exporters and the importers abroad.
  » The Board has been spearheading activities for excellence of Indian spices, involving every segment of the industry.
  » The Board has made quality and hygiene the corner stones for its development and promotional strategies.
• It was established in 1987 under Spices Board Act, 1986 with the responsibility of
  production/development of cardamom and export promotion of 52 spices.
• Key activities:
  » Spice export promotion.
  » Quality control
  » Guiding farmers to get better yield.
  » Provisions for financial and material support to farmers.
• Headquarter: Kochi
  » Regional laboratories in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Tuticorin etc.

B) TURMERIC AND TURMERIC BOARD

• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is used as condiment, dye, drug and cosmetic in addition to its use in religious purpose.
• India is not only the leading producer and consumer but also the largest exporter of turmeric in the world.
  • In the year 2022-23, a total of 3.24 lakh hectare was under turmeric cultivation with a production of 11.61 lakh tonnes (over 75% of the global production)
  • More than 30 varieties of the turmeric are grown in India in more than 20 states.
  • Telangana (+Andhra Pradesh) alone has 35.0% of the turmeric area and 47.0% of production.
    • Telangana (28.09%)
    • Andhra Pradesh (6%)
  • Maharashtra (22.04%) of production comes second. I
  • Odisha, Karnataka, WB, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Assam, etc. are some other major turmeric producing states.
• Climate and Soil:
  » Turmeric can be grown in diverse tropical conditions from sea level to 1500 m above sea level, at a temperature range of 20-35oC with an annual rainfall of 1500 mm or more, under rainfed or irrigated conditions. Though it can be grown on different types of soils, it thrives best in well-drained sandy or clay loam soils with a pH range of 4.5-7.5 with good organic status.

NATIONAL TURMERIC BOARD (NOTIFIED IN OCT 2023)

• GoI notifies establishment of National Turmeric Board.
  » The board will work towards development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products in the country.
  » It will provide leadership in turmeric related matters, augment the efforts, and facilitate greater coordination with Spice Board, and other government agencies in the development and growth of turmeric sector.
  » The board will also work towards usefully extracting turmeric’s full potential for humanity.
• Under Ministry of Commerce and Industry

4) LOTUS – NAMOH 108

• News: Science Minister Jitender Singh unveiled a variety of lotus called ‘Namoh 108‘ at a function in the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. He described it as a “grand gift to the relentless zeal and innate beauty of Shri Narendra Modi, coming as it does in the 10th year of his tenure as the Prime Minister.”
• About the lotus:
  » It has 108 petals and was discovered several years ago in Manipur. It was kept at the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) as part of its collection of flowers and plants, on which the institute conducts research. However, it wasn’t until four years ago that one of the scientists discovered that it had 108 petals. This number has religious significance in Hinduism.
  » Other features of the flower on initial inspection was ordinary. It’s fibre quality was less and it bloomed only in one season.
  » Recently, it has become the first (and only) lotus variety whose gene has been sequenced. The only other lotus variety to be sequenced in the world was from China and it was completely different.
• Scientists have also worked on its germplasm and modified its characteristics in a way that it could be cultivated relatively easily outside the Manipur.
• Note: At the launch of Namoh 108, minister also launched several fibres and perfumes made from NAMOH 108.
• CSIR: NBRI would be soon initiating a ‘Lotus Mission‘ as part of larger ongoing horticulture mission to have more of the 108 Namoh flowers grown in other part of India.