The Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), has been providing strong support for the establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) for fruits and vegetables, said the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) statement. Under MIDH, a total of 58 CoEs have been approved across various states in the country, out of which Gujarat has 4 CoEs for fruits and vegetables.
The Government of India has entered into bilateral cooperation agreements with Israel, the Netherlands, and New Zealand for the establishment of CoEs. Additionally, CoEs are also established with technical assistance from Indian Research Institutes, such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in Delhi.
Since its inception in 2015, the Centre of Excellence for Protected Cultivation and Precision Farming on Vegetables at Vadrad, Sabarkantha, has carried out several impactful initiatives. Under its planting material programme, the center has produced more than 14 million vegetable seedlings, supporting large-scale adoption of improved varieties. Every year, the center organizes 18 frontline demonstrations to showcase advanced cultivation practices, along with training programmes and exposure visits that have benefitted more than 1,13,455 farmers and officers.
The infrastructure of the 'Centre of Excellence of Vegetables and Citrus' in Visnagar, Mehsana district, includes modern protected cultivation facilities. It has two Net houses spread over 1,800 sq. m., four poly tunnels covering 1,800 sq. m., and a fan-pad poly house of 1,100 sq.m. for controlled crop production.
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