In a move to boost production of horticultural crops including vegetables, as India is the second largest producer of vegetables, the government is implementing Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in northeastern and Himalayan States (TMNE) and National Horticulture Mission (NHM), parliament was informed Monday.
The total production of vegetables is estimated at 108.20 million metric tonnes from an area of 7.05 million hectares during 2005-06, Kanti Lal Bhuria, minister of state for agriculture, said.
Under these schemes, assistance is provided to the farmers for quality planting material of elite cultivars, adoption of new technologies, integrated pest and disease management, integrated nutrient management and farm mechanisation.
Besides, National Horticulture Board is also implementing schemes that provide assistance for production of vegetables such as tomato and capsicum. The centrally sponsored scheme of micro-irrigation provides assistance to farmers for efficient use of water.
These measures are expected to enhance the productivity of horticultural crops including vegetable crops, reduce their cost of production, and increase the supply to meet round-the-year demand of these food items.
