Subsidy up to 40% of the project cost is given to the eligible beneficiaries
The Indian government’s National Horticulture Board (NHB) is running a scheme to provide financial assistance for commercial horticulture development. Under the scheme, the NHB is taking up integrated commercial horticulture development projects in open field conditions on project mode, including components viz planting material, plantation, irrigation, fertigation, mechanization, precision farming and good agricultural practices (GAP), among others.
The scheme is for projects covering an area over 2 hectares (5 acres). In the case of the northeast region of India, projects having an area over 1 acre are eligible.
Pattern of assistance: Credit-linked back-ended subsidy is provided at 40% of the total cost limited to Rs 30 lakh per project in general areas and at 50% of project cost limited to Rs 37.50 lakh in the northeast region, hilly states and scheduled areas.
Under the scheme, integration of production units with on-farm post-harvest management (PHM) components and primary processing units are allowed in project mode. As per the NHB, the cost of raising a new plantation will vary from crop to crop, which will be taken into consideration while providing assistance to the beneficiary.
Integrated production units on mushroom and tissue culture are also eligible for assistance under this component. The components like farm machinery and PHM infrastructure, irrigation and micro-irrigation are eligible under the scheme for assistance in existing/new orchards/projects to increase productivity.
Eligibility for financial assistance
Those eligible for financial assistance for include association of growers, individuals, group of farmer growers/consumers, farmers producer organizations (FPOs,) partnership/proprietary firms, self-help groups (SHGs), NGOs, companies, corporations, cooperatives, cooperative marketing federations, agricultural produce marketing committees, marketing boards/committees, municipal corporations/committees, agro-industries corporations, state agricultural universities (SAUs) and other concerned research and development (R&D) organizations.
Financial assistance is offered under the scheme for various fruit crops, spices, herbs and medicinal plants. Details about the scheme, eligibility and the cost norms for open field cultivation are given on the NHB website http://www.nhb.gov.in.
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