Belgaum: The Belgaum Zilla Panchayat has prepared a Rs. 6.79-crore action plan to implement programmes under the ambitious National Horticulture Mission this financial year. The action plan will be sent to the Government for allocation of funds.

According to official sources here on Tuesday, the Centrally sponsored mission, being implemented by the Department of Horticulture in the State, aims at promoting horticulture crops, especially vegetables, fruits and flowers with special focus on post-harvest management, processing, value addition and marketing.

Major producer

Karnataka is the third largest producer of horticulture crops in the country. The area under horticulture in the State is 16 lakh hectares with an annual increase of 5 per cent. Horticulture production has been estimated to be 96 lakh tonnes even as the production is increasing at the rate of 6 per cent every year. The total value of horticulture produced in the State is estimated at Rs. 8,405 crore which accounted for 40 per cent of income from agriculture in the State.

Keeping the growth potential of the district in view, the Government had included Belgaum under the mission.

Expansion plans

According to zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the District-Level Technical Committee set up under the mission M.E. Shivalingmurthy, expansion plans had been drawn up to increase the area under horticulture. At present, 60,000 hectares of land was under horticulture.

It had been planned to promote various horticulture crops by involving more number of farmers and by providing them timely information, training and other aids. To begin with, Rs. 1.88 crore was required to produce fruits, Rs. 6 lakh for cashew development, Rs. 78.79 lakh for floriculture development, Rs. 10.85 lakh for fragrant plants/flowers, Rs. 20 lakh for nursery development, and Rs. 1.25 lakh on human resource development, he said.

Study tours

Mr. Shivalingamurthy said study tours and training programmes would be organised for progressive farmers and information would be provided to them about various crops and facilities under the mission.

There was a need to create awareness on horticulture potential, use of modern technology and cropping patterns so as to increase productivity and push up the earnings of farmers, he added.

He invited suggestions from progressive farmers and institutions on improving horticulture and make the mission a success in the district.

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