As the Year of Horticulture rolls out, several readers have asked your columnist on why the government has suddenly woken up to this sector. Fruits and vegetables, spices, honey and nuts have been around for times immemorial and have been part of our diets and culinary traditions. In fact, during the innumerable fasts and feasts that mark the Indian calendar, fruits, vegetables, honey, nuts and milk products have been given primacy over cereals. However till very recently, the volumes were so low, and the range of their distribution was localized, and therefore these commodities did not figure into the agricultural census data. Most of these were classified as ‘other crops’, if not minor crops. However, now that the volume of the horticulture produce is almost at par with the production of crop sector, and the contribution in value terms substantially higher, the horticulture sector has found the ‘space’ in the discourse on the development strategy for agriculture ! The Planning Commission has also agreed that horticulture statistics should be an integral part of the new National Centre for Crop Statistics. This shows how the sector is now more salient than ever before.
What are the top priorities for this sector in the coming year? First and foremost is Planting Material. All states are being advised to ensure proper planting material as this is the basic building block. Moreover, unlike cereals, orchards have a life span stretching over decades – and therefore unless the best quality saplings are planted the damage has a long term consequence. The typical ‘tender ‘system in which the contract is given to the lowest bidder does not work here. One has to ensure that the planting material is of the best quality, and a foolproof system has to be in place. There is also pressure from the growers associations, many state governments, and of course from international breeders that it makes more sense to import planting material, especially for apples, potato and stone fruits. This has to be balanced against the initiatives of the ICAR and the nascent planting material establishments in the country, many of which have been supported by financial and technical support from the NHM and the RKVY.
Close on the heels of the planting material is establishment and accreditation of nurseries. Of the three thousand odd nurseries in the country, just about two hundred have been accredited so far. The focus this year will be to ensure that nurseries get established and accredited so that the end- user is aware of the standard of the nursery, and in case the results are not good, can seek redressal from NHB , the body designated to do the accreditation. This will also ensure healthy competition both within and among the states to ensure that their nurseries achieve a higher rating. In fact, the success of a state in this direction will impact the state’s position with regard to the National Horticulture Awards which will be given from next year onwards based on the overall performance of the states.
If planting material and nurseries are on the radar, can Tissue Culture labs lag behind? States will also be encouraged to establish and upgrade the existing TC labs, and get their accreditation from the Department of Biotechnology. This is one practical way of converting seedlings into speedlings – and can transform horticulture extension practice. In fact, the Horticulture Mission is now quite clear that Area Expansion will be encouraged only when the arrangements mentioned above are tied up. Plus, it is perhaps better to focus on rejuvenation of existing orchards, rather than look at new areas. As agricultural land shrinks, and the costs become prohibitive, especially in peri –urban areas, the stress on Protected Cultivation is imperative. During the Year of horticulture, states will be encouraged to promote protected cultivation as this intervention can not only be done on small holder plots, but have the potential of bringing in substantially higher incomes, thereby enabling the marginal landholder to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
‘Breaking out of the vicious cycle of poverty ‘is easier said than done, for production and productivity by itself do not ensure prosperity to the producer. As readers are aware, higher production often leads to depressed prices, and the farmer continues to be at the mercy of the intermediary. Therefore this year the thrust is on organizing farmers into Farmer Producer Companies (FPC). The enabling legislation for FPCs is on the anvil, and the Small farmers Agribusiness Consortium has been given the mandate to organize at least a hundred such producer companies so that the gains of production can be transferred directly to the farmer. In fact this also fits into the agenda of supporting Growers associations, many of which were established with much fanfare, but lack the administrative support and direction to get a firm grounding. This also gels with the PPPIAD initiative about which the column had made a reference in the previous issues.
Last but not the least is the focus on cold chain infrastructure and logistics to ensure that the shelf life of the produce gets extended which will also ensure that it can find a pan Indian market , and perhaps within the neighboring markets of Bangladesh and Pakistan as well (if the MFN status modalities are sorted out). Towards this end, the NCCD will have to get its act together in the Year of Horticulture, and ensure that the expectations with which it was established are not belied !