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"India: "Protected cultivation could double farmers’ incomes"

Agriculture in India is in crisis. Even in irrigated northwestern states, the dominant paddy-wheat cropping pattern is under strain due to plateauing yields and rising production costs. Some farmers have diversified into vegetable cultivation and floriculture. But their efforts have been stymied by uncertainty in both yields and prices.

This is where the option of protected cultivation (PC) deserves serious consideration, especially in the context of the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, as envisaged by the Prime Minister. Under PC, the environment conditions, temperature, humidity and light during plant growth are controlled partially or fully. Such control helps protect the crop from the vagaries of nature and pest attacks, augment supply of carbon dioxide for growth, extend the production period and, thereby, raise yields. Besides, it optimises use of water, fertilisers and chemicals by their application through drip irrigation and fertigation.

PC received a boost through the Indo-Israel project on greenhouse cultivation (1998-2003), exposing both scientists and farmers to the technology. In 2004, a Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology was established under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The Government of India has also promoted PC through the National Horticulture Board (NHB), which, since 2005-06, has been extending a 50 per cent subsidy (subject to a cap of Rs 56 lakh) on investments by farmers. While Maharashtra and Karnataka pioneered the adoption of PC, the subsidy scheme has led to its spreading to other states as well. The Haryana, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh (HP) governments are today giving additional subsidy, extending it to even production expenses for the first crop. Currently, about 30,000 hectares area is estimated to be under PC.

Read more at The Indian Express (Sher Singh Sangwan)
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