E-Paper
Women SHGs to operate 150 Israeli tech nurseries in UP
State to set up hi-tech nurseries, based on Israeli tech, under MGNREGA to boost horticulture, improve rural livelihoods
Lucknow: To serve the dual purpose of boosting horticulture and improving rural livelihoods, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to establish 150 nurseries -- based on Israeli technology -- under the MGNREGA scheme.
These hi-tech nurseries would be managed by women of Self-Help Groups formed under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission, said a UP government spokesperson on Sunday.
Under the scheme, two hi-tech nurseries were being developed in each district to grow fruits like plum, pomegranate, jackfruit, lemon, mango, guava, moringa, dragon-fruit etc. and several vegetables as per the demands, based on the local geographical conditions and surrounding areas, said the spokesperson.
The government seeks to grow quality saplings and seeds at the excellence centres as well as hi-tech nurseries to increase production of quality crops.
The objective behind the government’s move was also to provide sufficient crops for the increasing number of food processing industries, he added.
An Indo-Israel Centre for Excellence has been established in Basti and Kannauj for fruits and vegetables respectively, so that farmers can get quality seedlings.
These 150 hi-tech nurseries will be set up in the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the state, campuses of agricultural universities and research centres of the horticulture department so that farmers can be trained easily. As per the estimate of the horticulture department, the average cost of a nursery will be nearly ₹1 crore.
These nurseries will be equipped with infrastructure facilities like proper fencing and irrigation and hi-tech greenhouse and will be maintained through CLF (Cluster Level Federation)/ other groups of State Rural Livelihood Mission.
The plants produced from these nurseries will be sold to the interested local farmers and farmers’ production organizations (FPOs) at the regional level, other private nurseries at the state level, for plantation of various state governments at the national level and to other states.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has set ambitious targets to increase the area of cultivation of horticultural crops from 11.6 per cent to 16 per cent and food processing units from 6 per cent to a whopping 20 per cent during the next five years to enhance the overall yield as well as processing of fruits, vegetables and spices.
