Important for GS Prelims- Economy and Agriculture
About MIDH
- Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2014-15 to modernise India’s horticulture sector through an end-to-end, technology-driven approach.
- It works as an umbrella scheme covering all districts nationwide, bringing together sub-schemes such as the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), National Horticulture Board (NHB), and Coconut Development Board (CDB).
- Its objectives centre on raising productivity of high-value crops, improving farmer incomes, and cutting post-harvest losses through modern logistics.
Key Facts
| Particular | Details |
| Established | Launched in 2014-15. |
| Nature | Centrally Sponsored Scheme; umbrella mission for horticulture. |
| Coverage | Implemented across all districts of the country. |
| Constituent Sub-Schemes | National Horticulture Mission (NHM), National Horticulture Board (NHB), Coconut Development Board (CDB). |
| Core Focus Areas | Precision agriculture, geospatial crop assessment, clean planting material, cold-chain logistics, quality certification. |
Key Responsibilities/Functions
- Funds adoption of precision farming methods including hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming, and aeroponics.
- Supports shift from open-field cultivation to protected structures such as poly-houses, greenhouses, and shade-net houses with sensor-based fertigation.
- Validates and disseminates region-specific agri-technologies through Precision Farming Development Centres (PFDCs) at agricultural universities.
- Establishes pathogen-free planting material supply chains via the Clean Plant Programme.
- Builds integrated cold-chain infrastructure from farm-gate pack-houses to urban markets.
- Enforces crop quality standards and promotes cluster-based specialisation for global market competitiveness.
Related Bodies/Standards Adopted
- Project CHAMAN (Coordinated Horticulture Assessment & Management using geoinformatics) uses satellite and UAV-based data for crop mapping, disease assessment, and orchard planning, implemented by the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) with ISRO; outputs are hosted on ISRO’s BHUVAN platform.
- The Clean Plant Programme (CPP), funded with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), establishes nine Clean Plant Centers (CPCs) in partnership with ICAR institutes to maintain virus-free seed stock.
- Bharat GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification is implemented with NHB as the nodal agency for produce quality, safety, and traceability.
- National Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD) guides the mission’s cold-chain strategy.
- Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (HCDP) integrates production, post-harvest processing, and marketing verticals for specialised crop clusters.
Modernisation and Trade Facilitation
- Reduces quarantine duration for imported exotic plants like avocado and blueberry from two years to six months through Clean Plant Centers.
- Mandates perennial fruit crop planting material to come from NHB-accredited nurseries, alongside promotion of high-tech Plug Type nurseries for disease-free vegetable seedlings.
- Provides subsidies for cold rooms, reefer transport vans, ripening chambers, and controlled atmosphere (CA) cold storage to minimise post-harvest decay.
- Aligns Indian horticultural produce with global compliance standards to strengthen export competitiveness.
Conclusion
The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture functions as India’s coordinated framework for transforming horticulture through technology adoption, clean planting material, and modern supply chains. By linking precision farming, geospatial monitoring, and cold-chain logistics under one umbrella, it strengthens both farm productivity and India’s position in global horticultural trade.
| This/these Concept has been elaborately discussed in the following article PIB- Promotion of Medicinal Plants under NMPB |