The Central Government has recently initiated the ‘Clean Plant Programme’ targeting grape, orange, and pomegranate cultivation in Maharashtra.
Overview of the Clean Plant Programme
This programme is a government-led initiative designed to improve the supply of high-quality, disease-free planting materials for horticultural crops, including fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants.
The primary objective is to enhance the productivity and quality of horticulture by providing farmers with certified and pathogen-free planting stock, thereby minimizing crop losses and boosting yields.
Key Components of the Programme
- Establishment of Clean Plant Centers (CPCs): A total of nine CPCs will be set up to provide disease detection and treatment services, produce mother plants for nurseries, and carry out quarantine measures for both domestically produced and imported planting materials.
- Infrastructure Expansion: The programme will establish large-scale nurseries for mass propagation of clean planting material. These nurseries will use mother plants developed by the CPCs and supply healthy plant stock to farmers.
- Regulatory and Certification Mechanism: A comprehensive framework will be put in place to ensure proper regulation, certification, and traceability of planting materials during production and distribution.
Implementation:
The programme is being carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board (NHB) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).