Horticulture sector has grown by 7 per cent and can contribute to the growth of the agriculture sector, according to the agriculture ministry.
The general council of the National Horticulture Mission took stock of the implementation of scheme. Officials said the plan has helped in increasing the production of horticultural commodities from 166.9 million tonnes in 2004-05 to 226.9 million tonnes by 2009-10, registering a growth rate of about 7 per cent per year. The exports of horticultural produce have also been going up consistently and reached `13,423.76 crore during 2009-10, said officials.
In the past five years, an area of 16.57 lakh hectares has been brought under horticultural. About 2.78 lakh ha of senile orchards have been rejuvenated.
Organic farming has been taken up in 1.37 lakh ha. Besides, 2.47 lakh honey bee colonies along with hives have been distributed to farmers for enhancing productivity through cross pollination.
High priority has been accorded under the horticulture mission to promoting protected cultivation, particularly for taking up cultivation of vegetables under green houses and shade net houses in the peri-urban areas. Besides, protected cultivation of flowers is gaining momentum in various parts of the country.
The ministry has held collaborations with Israel government for state-of-the-art technology for cultivation of fruits and vegetables by creating centres of excellence. One such centre has been commissioned at Karnal, Haryana in January, 2011 with support to the tune of `6 crores.
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80,000 youth to be trained for jobs
New Delhi, Feb. 8: The ministry of rural development will train and provide jobs to 80,000 youth under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) now restructured as National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), reports our correspondent.
The government has approved 14 projects.
The projects involve a total investment of about `165 crores of which 75 per cent is to be funded by the central government.
The remaining investment is to be made by the training partners or employers.