Govt promoting holistic development of horticulture: Union minister

New Delhi [India], August 8 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday informed the Parliament that the Centre was promoting holistic development of horticulture through regionally differentiated programmes like the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.
"The main challenges faced in adopting horticulture are high initial investment, availability of planting material, lack of technical knowledge, post-harvest losses, inefficient supply chain and weak linkages with markets," the minister said in response to a query by Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma.
Sharma wanted to know the benefits of horticulture over traditional agricultural methods in Haryana.
Further support is also available under the Market Intervention Scheme for the procurement of
horticultural crops, which are perishable in nature, the minister said, adding that horticulture crops are also covered under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to provide safeguards to farmers.
The minister said the Haryana government was also in the process of implementing Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana (BBV) to compensate horticulture growers by providing gap incentives of cost and prevailing market price of perishables.
In response to another question posed by the MP, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, said it promotes the industrial development of the country by facilitating investments in new and upcoming technology, accelerating Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and supporting a balanced development of industry and trade.
Meanwhile, the Minister of state for Civil Aviation informed Rajya Sabha that currently, there are 36 Flying Training Organizations (FTOs) in the country operating at 57 bases which are imparting flying training to cadets.
In 2022, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a record of 1165
Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPLs) to cater to the requirement of the industry, the minister said. (ANI)