Centre’s Clean Plant Programme: Revolutionizing Horticulture in India (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in the News?
- The Clean Plant Programme (CPP) has recently been endorsed by the Union Cabinet as a groundbreaking initiative to enhance the productivity and quality of horticultural crops in India.
- This ambitious program aims to provide farmers with disease-free planting materials, thereby boosting crop yields and ensuring the overall health of the horticultural sector.
- The CPP's approval highlights a significant policy shift towards addressing persistent challenges in the horticultural sector, such as plant diseases and inadequate quality control.
- By focusing on the availability of clean, certified planting materials, the program aims to improve the yield and quality of horticultural produce across the country.
About the Clean Plant Programme
- The Clean Plant Programme represents a strategic move by the Indian Government to ensure the production and distribution of high-quality, disease-free planting materials for horticultural crops.
- This initiative is crucial for enhancing the overall productivity of the sector and mitigating the losses associated with plant diseases.
Key Aspects of the CPP
Objective:
- Primary Goal: To increase horticultural productivity and crop quality by ensuring access to certified, disease-free planting materials. This is expected to reduce crop losses and improve yields across various horticultural sectors, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
Budget and Funding:
- Total Allocation: ₹1,765 crore has been proposed for the CPP.
- Funding Sources: The budget will be divided equally between the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This combination of domestic and international funding is intended to support the comprehensive implementation of the program.
Implementation of CPP
The CPP will be implemented through a well-structured framework, comprising three main components designed to ensure the availability of virus-free planting materials:
Establishment of Clean Plant Centers (CPCs):
- Role and Function: Nine CPCs will be set up across key locations. These centers will focus on:
- Disease diagnostics and treatments
- Developing and maintaining mother plants for nurseries
- Quarantining all domestic and imported planting materials to ensure they are free of diseases before they are distributed for commercial use
- Benefits: CPCs will help streamline the process of acquiring disease-free planting material, making it more efficient and accessible for farmers.
Infrastructure Development:
- Nursery Expansion: Large-scale nurseries will be established to multiply clean planting materials. These nurseries will propagate mother plants from the CPCs and distribute the resultant high-quality planting materials to farmers.
- Objective: To ensure a steady and reliable supply of clean planting materials, enhancing overall crop health and productivity.
Regulatory and Certification Framework:
- Development: A robust regulatory and certification framework will be developed to monitor and control the production and distribution of planting materials. This will ensure transparency, traceability, and accountability in the horticultural supply chain.
What is the Need for CPP?
India’s horticultural sector plays a crucial role in the agricultural economy, with the country being the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally. Key statistics underscore the sector’s significance:
- Growth in Horticulture: The area under horticultural crops increased from 24 million hectares in 2013-14 to 28.63 million hectares in 2023-24. Production has also risen from 277.4 million metric tonnes to 352 million metric tonnes during the same period.
- Global Market Impact: India is a major player in the global fruit market, with significant import and export activities. In FY 2023-24, India exported fresh fruits worth $1.15 billion and imported fruits valued at $2.73 billion.
Challenges Addressed by CPP:
- Increased Demand: The rising demand for planting materials, including exotic fruits like avocados and blueberries, has strained existing supply chains.
- Import and Quarantine Issues: The lengthy two-year quarantine period for imported plants has hindered farmers' access to high-quality planting materials.
- Proposed Solution: The CPCs will help reduce the quarantine period from two years to six months, facilitating quicker access to disease-free planting materials.
International Benchmarking:
- The CPC model draws inspiration from successful projects in countries such as the US, Israel, and the Netherlands.
- These countries have implemented similar programs to ensure the availability of clean planting materials and have seen positive outcomes in terms of crop health and productivity.
Conclusion
- The Clean Plant Programme represents a strategic and forward-thinking approach to addressing critical challenges in India’s horticultural sector.
- By focusing on the availability of high-quality, disease-free planting materials, the CPP aims to enhance crop yields, improve the quality of horticultural produce, and support the overall growth of the sector.
- With substantial funding and a comprehensive implementation strategy, the CPP is poised to make a significant impact, ensuring that India remains a key player in the global horticultural market while meeting the increasing domestic demand for quality fruits and vegetables.
