Lok Sabha Question No. 399 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-20
Subject: Horticulture Cluster Development Programme
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Gautham Sigamani Pon, C.N. Annadurai, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Dhanush M Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 399

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 20TH JULY, 2021

## HORTICULTURE CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

399. SHRI GAUTHAM SIGAMANI PON:

SHRI C. N. ANNADURAI:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI DHANUSH M. KUMAR:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE कृ ष  एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  number  of  clusters  selected  for  the  programme  along  with  the clusters where this programme will be implemented in the pilot phase;
- (c) whether  this  programme  will  address  all  major  issues  related  to  the Horticulture Sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  also  appointed  Cluster  Development Agencies (CDAs) in the selected clusters and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  develop  such  clusters throughout the country which will help farmers with small landholdings through formation of FPOs?

## ANSWER

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी

(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) & (b): Yes sir, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW) has  launched  the  Horticulture  Cluster  Development  Programme  (CDP). CDP  is  designed  to  leverage  geographical  specialization  of  horticulture clusters  to  promote  integrated  and  market  led  development  of  identified clusters.  MoA&FW  has  identified  12  clusters  for  the  pilot  launch  of  the programme. Details of 12 clusters are at Annexure - I .

(c): The  programme  will  focus  on  holistic  development  of  the  clusters, including  addressing  concerns  of  the  entire  horticulture  value  chain,  viz., pre-production,  production,  post-harvest  management  &  value  addition  to logistics, marketing, and branding.

The programme will support integrated interventions to enhance the competitiveness of targeted clusters. The interventions have been classified into the following three verticals:

- i. Pre-production and production :  It  will  support  capacity-building of farmers and farm proximate interventions including planting material, modern cultivation and crop-care practices till the harvest of the crop.
- ii.  Post-harvest  management  and  value  addition : It will  support interventions at the cluster level, ranging from post-harvest handling of crop to storage, value addition and packaging.
- iii.  Logistics, Marketing and Branding :  It  will  support interventions to link  cluster  produce  with  consumption  markets  through  seamless transport for efficient evacuation, cluster branding and outreach in the domestic and export markets.

(d): Government has appointed Cluster Development Agencies (CDAs) in 7  clusters  out  of  12  clusters  identified  for  pilot  phase.  Details  are  at Annexure - II .

(e): The  formation  of  FPOs  is  an  integral  part  of  Horticulture  Cluster Development  Programme  which  will  help  farmers  with  small  land  holding and help them in achieving economies of scale in an integrated manner by addressing concerns of entire value chain in the selected clusters.

## Annexure - I

## List of selected 12 clusters under pilot phase of Cluster Development Programme

|   S. No. | Crop        | Identified cluster    | State            |
|----------|-------------|-----------------------|------------------|
|        1 | Apple       | 1. Shopian            | Jammu & Kashmir  |
|        1 | Apple       | 2. Kinnaur            | Himachal Pradesh |
|        2 | Mango       | 1. Lucknow            | Uttar Pradesh    |
|        2 | Mango       | 2. Kutch              | Gujarat          |
|        2 | Mango       | 3. Mahbubnagar        | Telangana        |
|        3 | Banana      | 1. Anantapur          | Andhra Pradesh   |
|        3 | Banana      | 2. Theni              | Tamil Nadu       |
|        4 | Grapes      | 1. Nashik             | Maharashtra      |
|        5 | Pineapple   | 1. Sepahijala         | Tripura          |
|        6 | Pomegranate | 1. Solapur            | Maharashtra      |
|        6 | Pomegranate | 2. Chitradurga        | Karnataka        |
|        7 | Turmeric    | 1. West Jaintia Hills | Meghalaya        |

## The status of appointment of Cluster Development Agencies (CDAs)

|   S. No. | Cluster                   | Name of the Cluster Development Agency (CDA)                                   |
|----------|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Chitradurga, Karnataka    | Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation Limited |
|        2 | Nashik, Maharashtra       | Maharashtra State Horticulture and Medicinal Plant Board                       |
|        3 | Solapur, Maharashtra      | Maharashtra State Horticulture and Medicinal Plant Board                       |
|        4 | Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Development Agency                                 |
|        5 | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh    | Regional Food Research and Analysis Centre                                     |
|        6 | Theni, Tamil Nadu         | Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency                                     |
|        7 | Kutch, Gujarat            | Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation limited                                    |

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