National Horticulture Mission

A National Horticulture Mission had been approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in 2005-06 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to promote holistic growth of the horticulture sector through an area based regionally differentiated strategies.
Memorable Points:
1. It is a scheme of Department of Agriculture & Cooperation Ministry of Agriculture India.
2. The scheme is fully funded by the Government and different components proposed for implementation financially supported on the scales laid down.
3. This scheme aims at doubling the horticulture production by 2012
4. At National Level it has General Council (GC) & Executive Committee (EC).
5. The Mission has a General Council (GC) at the National level under the Chairmanship of the Union Agriculture Minister. There are members and secretaries in the General Council.
6. There is an Executive Committee (EC) headed by the Secretary, Dep’t. Of Agriculture & Cooperation to oversee the activities of the Mission and to approve the Action Plans.
7. The EC will be empowered to reallocate resources across States and components and approve projects on the basis of the approved subsidy norms. EC will use its discretion in approving components of a project for which norms have not been prescribed.
8. The subsidy for such components will not be more than 50% of the cost for small & marginal farmers and 30% of the cost for other farmers
9. The Horticulture Division in the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation will provide the necessary support to the EC and the GC and will administer the NHM.
10. The EC coordinates between different agencies. The EC shall meet every quarter but at least once in two months in the initial stages of the Mission.
11. At State Level there is a state Level Executive Committee, District Mission Committee, & Technical Support Groups.
12. State Level Executive Committee will be constituted by the State Government under the Chairmanship of the Agricultural Production Commissioner, or Secretary Horticulture/Agriculture having representatives from other concerned Departments, the SAUs, ICAR Institutes, Grower’s Associations, etc for overseeing the implementation of the programmes.
13. Central Government will nominate its representative who will be a Member in the SLEC.
14. The State Mission Director to be appointed by the State Government will be the Member Secretary of SLEC.
15. At the operational level, State Governments will have the freedom to nominate, or create a suitable autonomous agency to be registered under the Societies Registration Act for implementing the Mission programmes at the State and District levels. The Panchayat Raj Institutions existing in the State should be fully involved in the implementation structure.
The State level agency will have the following functions.
1. Prepare Perspective and annual State Level Action
2. Receive funds from the national mission authority, the State Government and other sources for carrying on the mission’s activities, maintain proper accounts thereof and submit utilization certificate to the concerned agencies.
3. Release funds to the implementing organizations and oversee, monitor & review the implementation of the programmes.
4. Organize base-line survey and feasibility studies in different parts
5. Assist and oversee the implementation of the Mission’s programmes in the State through Farmers, Societies, NGOs, growers, associations, self-help groups, State institutions and other similar entities.
6. Organize Workshops, Seminars and training programmes
9. At the District level, the District Mission Committee (DMC) will be constituted by the State Government.
10 Technical Support Group:

The Mission will have a strong technical component and domain experts will be central to the management of the Mission. TSG will have the following role and functions:
1. To visit the States regularly and frequently to provide guidance in organizational and technical matters.
2. To compile materials for conduct of regional workshops in respect of different plantations and different aspects viz. production, post-harvest management, processing, marketing.
3. There will a yearlong calendar of capacity building and promotional events, workshops/seminars on different subjects in different regions.
4. To conduct studies on different aspects of horticulture in different regions.