Lok Sabha Question No. 233 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-19
Subject: Horticulture Universities
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 233

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 th  DECEMBER, 2023

## HORTICULTURE UNIVERSITIES

## 233.   DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK':

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ षि और षकसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state: -

- (a)    the number of Agriculture Horticulture Universities in the country at present including the faculty posts lying vacant in the said Universities and the efforts being made to fill up the said vacant posts;
- (b)    the steps taken to make research accessible to farms;
- (c)    the quantity of fruits produced in the country during the last five years;
- (d)   the acreage covered under organic farming in the country as regards cultivation of fruits and vegetables including the area covered under the Himalayan ranges thereof;
- (e)    the global ranking of India with regard to the production of honey; and
- (f)     the position of various States in the field of honey production?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ षि और षकसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI ARJUN MUNDA)

- (a) to (f): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

*****

OIH

## STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (f) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 233 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 TH  DECEMBER 2023 REGARDING 'HORTICULTURE UNIVERSITIES'

(a) At present  08  Horticultural  Universities  are  functioning  under  various  State Governments in the country namely:

- i. Dr. YSR Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem, Andhra Pradesh
- ii. Dr. Yaswant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh
- iii. University of Horticulture Science, Bagalkot, Karnataka
- iv. Keladi  Shivappa  Nayaka University of Agriculture & Horticulture Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka
- v. Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Hyderabad, Telangana
- vi. VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture & Forestry, Bharsar, Uttarakhand
- vii. Maharana Pratap University of Horticulture, Anjanthali, Karnal, Haryana
- viii. Mahatma Gandhi University of Horticulture & Forestry, Durg, Chattisgarh

As all these Horticultural Universities are under State Governments, filling up the vacant posts including maintaining records thereof is under the purview of the concerned State Governments.

(b) The  Government  of  India  implements  Krishi  Vigyan  Kendra  (KVK)  scheme  in different States of the Country with mandate of technology assessment and demonstration to act as a bridge between research organizations and the main extension system operated by different development departments of the State Governments  to disseminate information to farmers related to results of research in agriculture. The activities of KVKs include  On-farm  testing  to  identify  the  location  specificity  of  technology  under  various farming systems; Frontline demonstration to establish the production potential of improved agricultural  technologies  on  the  farmers'  fields;  Capacity  development  of  farmers  for knowledge and skill  upgradation;  providing  farm  advisories  using  ICT  and  other  media means on varied subjects of interest to farmers; and production of quality seeds, planting materials and other technology inputs for availability to the farmers. In order to develop awareness  of  improved  agricultural  technology  among  the  farmers,  a  large  number  of extension activities are taken up by the KVKs. As of date, the Government has established 731 KVKs in various districts across the country for making research accessible to the farms.

(c) As per Second Advance Estimate, India produced 108.34 Million MT fruits in the year 2022-23. The details of fruit production in India during last five years are given below:

| Year    |   Production of fruits (Million MT) |
|---------|-------------------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                               97.98 |
| 2019-20 |                              102.08 |
| 2020-21 |                              103.03 |
| 2021-22 |                              107.51 |
| 2022-23 |                              108.34 |

(d): As  per  data  available  with  Agricultural  and  Processed  Food  Products  Export Development  Authority  (APEDA)  up  to  31st  March  2023,  the  total  area  under  organic certification  process  (registered  under  National  Programme  for  Organic  Production)  is 10.17 m ha (2022-23). This includes 5.39 m ha cultivable area and another 4.78 m ha for wild  harvest collection.   The data specifically regarding acreage in the country covered under organic farming are not released for crops and commodities including fruits and vegetables. Moreover, during year 2022-23 area covered under fruits and vegetables crops in the country including the Himalayan ranges was 7.01 and 11.36 m ha, respectively. The production  of  fruits  and  vegetables  were  recorded  as  108.34  and  212.91  million  MT respectively, during the same period.

(e) and (f): India  is  one  of  the  leading  producers  of  Honey  in  the  world.    As  per  the Second Advance Estimate, India produced 142.00 Million MT Honey in the year 2022-23. Details of State wise production is given in Annexure-I .

*****

Annexure-I

## [Part (e) and (f) of Lok Sabha Starred Q. No. 233 Dated 19 TH  DECEMBER 2023]

## State-wise honey production (000 Metric tons) in India (as per Second Advance Estimates)

| Sl. No.   | States/UTs        |   2022-23 |
|-----------|-------------------|-----------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    |      2.1  |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh |      0.2  |
| 3         | Assam             |      1.6  |
| 4         | Bihar             |     17.5  |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh      |      1.2  |
| 6         | Gujarat           |      0.91 |
| 7         | Haryana           |      5.6  |
| 8         | Himachal Pradesh  |      6.4  |
| 9         | Jammu & Kashmir   |      3.05 |
| 10        | Jharkhand         |      1.82 |
| 11        | Karnataka         |      2.45 |
| 12        | Kerala            |      2.25 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh    |      2.75 |
| 14        | Maharashtra       |      2.1  |
| 15        | Manipur           |      0.5  |
| 16        | Meghalaya         |      0.32 |
| 17        | Mizoram           |      0.4  |
| 18        | Nagaland          |      0.8  |
| 19        | Odisha            |      1.82 |
| 20        | Punjab            |     20    |
| 21        | Rajasthan         |     13    |
| 22        | Sikkim            |      0.65 |
| 23        | Tamil Nadu        |      2.5  |
| 24        | Telangana         |      1    |
| 25        | Tripura           |      0.25 |
| 26        | Uttar Pradesh     |     24.3  |
| 27        | Uttarakhand       |      3.22 |
| 28        | West Bengal       |     23    |
| 29        | Others            |      0.31 |
|           | All India Total   |    142    |