New Delhi, July 28: The Union Government has enhanced financial support for several horticultural and cash crops under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), citing rising input costs and the adoption of new technologies in the sector.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur said the operational guidelines of the MIDH scheme were revised in 2025 following representations from stakeholders and a rise in the prices of inputs, planting materials and labour.
The Ministry noted that horticultural crops such as orange and kinnow, as well as cash crops including cumin and isabgol, are highly input- and labour-intensive due to their dependence on quality planting material, fertilisers, irrigation systems and post-harvest infrastructure.
Under the revised guidelines, support for citrus orchards has been significantly increased. For orchard establishment under regular spacing, the cost norm has been raised to ₹1.25 lakh per hectare, while assistance for high-density plantations has been increased to ₹2 lakh per hectare and ultra-high-density plantations to ₹3 lakh per hectare. The subsidy pattern remains unchanged at 40 per cent for general areas and 50 per cent for North Eastern and hilly regions.
For cumin cultivation, the cost norm has been revised upward from ₹30,000 per hectare to ₹50,000 per hectare, covering improved seed, integrated nutrient management (INM), integrated pest management (IPM) and scientific cultivation practices.
The revised guidelines have also brought medicinal and aromatic plants, including isabgol, under the ambit of MIDH support. The crop is now eligible for assistance of ₹1.5 lakh per hectare, with subsidies ranging between 40 and 50 per cent depending on the region.
The Ministry said the revisions are aimed at making horticulture cultivation more viable and encouraging the adoption of modern production technologies across the country.
Separately, the government reiterated that relief for crop losses caused by natural calamities remains the responsibility of State governments under the National Policy on Disaster Management. Financial assistance is provided through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), while additional support from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) may be extended in cases of calamities classified as being of a severe nature.
The Centre clarified that assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is intended as relief and not as compensation for losses incurred by farmers.
