New MIDH guidelines to support vertical faming, and other components

Context: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has
begun the process of revising the Mission for Integrated Development of
Horticulture (MIDH) operational guidelines and cost support, which will be released
within a month. For this, the Centre is set to include four new
components—Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Vertical Farming, and Precision Agriculture.
The cost support under the MIDH may see an upward revision of 20 per cent as
compared to the existing rates. The existing cost norms and guidelines were
fixed in April 2014. Since then, the Centre has not revised the MIDH guidelines.
The Centre supports pre-production, production, post-harvest management,
processing and marketing activities under the MIDH.

Key points

·      
Overview: The move to revise guidelines comes after several
states raised the issue of old rates under the MIDH. For instance, during the recently
held RabiMI conference, Agriculture Ministers of states raised the issues of
non-revision of the MIDH guidelines.

·      
Horticulture: It is the branch of plant agriculture dealing with
garden crops, generally fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants. M.H.
Marigowda is considered the Father of Indian Horticulture.

·      
Mission for
Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): MIDH is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic growth of the
horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops,
mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.

Nodal Ministry- The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is implementing MIDH
with effect from 2014-15.

Funding Pattern- Under MIDH, Government of India (GoI) contributes 60% of total outlay
for developmental programmes in all the states except states in Northeast and
Himalayas, 40% share is contributed by State Governments.

·      
New
components of the scheme: The 4 new
components to be added to the MIDH include: Hydroponics, a technique of growing
plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil; Aquaponics,
a practice of combining aquaculture and hydroponics into one system; Vertical
Farming, is a method of growing plants in a controlled environment stacked
vertically; and Precision Agriculture, farming system that uses information
technology (IT) to ensure that crops and soil receive exactly quantity of
inputs to improve production and sustainability.

·      
Achievements
of MIDH: During the year 2019-20, the
country recorded its highest ever horticulture production of 320.77 million
tonnes. The initiative of MIDH has not only resulted in India’s
self-sufficiency in the horticulture sector but also contributed towards
achieving sustainable development goals of zero hunger, good health and
wellbeing, no poverty, gender equality etc.

·      
Challenges: The Horticulture sector is still facing a lot of
challenges in terms of high post-harvest loss and gaps in post-harvest
management and supply chain infrastructure.