Greenhouse Horticulture: Important Points

 The India Greenhouse Horticulture market held a market value of USD 190.84 Million in 2021 and is estimated to reach USD 271.25 Million by the year 2030.

• The market is expected to register a growth rate of 4.19% over the projected period. In 2021, India’s greenhouse horticulture production was 27.71 million tonnes.
• Greenhouse Horticulture is also known as protected cropping. It is the production of horticultural crops within, under or sheltered by structures for providing modified growing conditions and/or protection from adverse weather, pests, and diseases.

Growth Influencers:

• Robust increase in population and food demand.
• Rising entrepreneurship under horticulture due to government intervention.

• The term horticulture is derived from two Latin words hortus, meaning ‘garden’, and cultura meaning ‘cultivation’ hence meaning, crops cultivated in a garden cultivation.
• It is a science and art of production, utilisation and improvement of fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants for human food, non-food uses and social needs.
• L.H. Bailey is considered the Father of American Horticulture and M.H. Marigowda is considered the Father of Indian Horticulture.

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH):

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables and other areas.
• Under MIDH, Government of India contributes 60% of the total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states (except North Eastern and Himalayan states where GOI contributes 90%) & 40% is contributed by State governments.
• It has five major schemes on horticulture-
  • National Horticulture Mission (NHM)
  • Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH)
  • National Horticulture Board (NHB)
  • Coconut Development Board (CDB) &
  • Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland.

National Horticulture Board (NHB):

• It was set up in 1984 on the basis of recommendations of the “Group on Perishable Agricultural Commodities”, headed by Dr M. S. Swaminathan.
• Headquartered at Gurugram.
• Objective is to improve integrated development of Horticulture industry and to help in coordinating, sustaining the production and processing of fruits and vegetables.