State adopts plug & play model to promote modern horticulture among farmers

kolkata: The state Food Processing Industries and Horticulture (FPI & H) department has adopted a unique plug and play model to promote modern horticulture among farmers/horticulture entrepreneurs through its own farms across the state.

"We will be providing all necessary infrastructure that includes hi-tech plasticulture structures including green houses/polyhouses, walk in tunnels, shade nets, pest control with micro irrigation facilities like sprinklers, drips, foggers etc or even develop plots for open field cultivation in the unutilised land parcels in our horticulture farms. Once ready, we will provide these plots to the interested farmers on a license basis for one/two/three years at a time to cultivate any horticultural crop of their choice, including high value vegetables, flowers, fruits, plantation and medicinal plants," Subrata Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of FPI & H department said.

"The licensee will be using the entire plug and play infrastructure and cultivate the crop of his choice. At the end of the cropping season he will be entitled to carry away , sell or dispose of the produce," Gupta added.

The department will collect a license fee along with a security deposit before handing over the plot.

A senior official of the FPI & H department said that protected cultivation is expensive and to create a polyhouse

of 1000 square metre, the expenditure is to the tune of Rs 11 lakh. The government offers a subsidy of 50 per cent under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) but still a farmer or an entrepreneur has to make a capital expenditure of Rs 5.5 lakh for the same.

"The investment of such a large amount has proved to be a deterrent to farmers to adopt protected cultivation. The lack of availability of technology and standard facilities has also contributed to low penetration of modern techniques in horticulture," he added.

The official said that the move will be an encouragement to the farmers to practice modern horticulture as

the risk factor will be very less

as the farmer will be making little capital investment.

Even if his expectation is not fulfilled he can quit with minimum loss.

The model will be applicable for the farms of Ayeshpur and Krishnanagar in Nadia, Borjora and Taldangra in Bankura, Mohitnagar in Jalpaiguri, Chinsurah and Surpara in Hooghly, Digha, Kajlagarh and Ramnagar in East Midnapore and Englishbazar in Malda.

The model will also be applicable to the land assets of the Directorate of Cinchona and other Medicinal Plants.