The Horticulture Department has thrown open the banquet of promotional schemes in the form of subsidies to lure the farmers to adopt horticulture farming which otherwise is viewed as less profitable cultivation.

District Horticulture Department Deputy Director Dr Sathish told Deccan Herald that farmers who come forward to take up horticulture growths are offered financial assistances under various schemes.

A decent sum of amount is given as subsidy to the farmers. As the financial year ends, all the programmes will be introduced from the beginning of April, he added.
Subsidy up to Rs 50 lakhs

Farmers who come forward to set up food processing industries and machines will be given 25 per cent of project cost as subsidy ranging up to Rs 50 lakhs.

The food processing unit may be new establishment or the technical upgradation of the already existing structure. Besides the food processing units includes processing of all agriculture items and also fisheries. The government is extending up to Rs 10 crores subsidy for setting up of cold storage unit and value addition programmes for horticulture commodities, he explained.

Besides, the institutions that are intending to set up diploma courses in food processing are given Rs 75 lakhs of subsidies for infrastructure development.Primary processing industries are given subsidies up to 40 per cent based on the merits of the project.

The tissue culture units are given subsidies up to maximum of Rs 50 lakhs amounting for 50 per cent. Under National Horticulture Mission financial assistance is given to the interested farmers to set up nurseries.

Around 50 per cent of the project cost of nurseries is borne by the government. The nursery set up in 2.5 acre of land is offered around Rs 3.12 lakhs subsidy to incorporate infrastructures. The model nursery is given financial assistance up to Rs 12.5 lakhs, the Deputy Director added.

Major crops under  coverage

Under area extension programme, the major horticulture crops that has been covered under subsidy programme includes banana, pineapple, cashew, cocoa and back pepper. For banana, Rs 22,500 is given as subsidy.

Farmers will receive 75 per cent subsidy in the first year and 25 per cent in the following year. For pineapple crop, the subsidy amount is Rs 35,000 per hectare. The cashew and cocoa growths will receive Rs 20,000 subsidy per hectare in three year installments. Besides saplings are given by the Horticulture Department. The installment will be in 60:20:20 ratios. The black pepper will receive single package of Rs 20,000.

The farmer growing chrysanthemum, marigold and jasmine flowers will receive Rs 12,000 subsidy per hectare.  Under Integrated Pest Management programme, a farmer is offered Rs 1,000 per hectare for plant protection.

A farmer can get the benefits for maximum four hectares. Under Integrated Nutrient Management programme, it is again Rs 1,000 per hectare for organic and biological inputs.A farmer will receive Rs 800 subsidy on a bee box and around Rs 700 subsidy on purchasing bee colonies. It would be a total of Rs 1,500 for the entire set up. He can go for maximum of 50 bee boxes depending on the area.  Besides Rs 7,000 is given to an individual farmer for bee extract and treatment programme, said District Horticulture Department Deputy Director.