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“India’s horticulture identified as a sunrise sector”
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Monday, 24 February, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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 Horticulture is an important component of India’s economic development. This sector provides an opportunity to increase the income of farmers, said Dr Tusar Kanti Behera, Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bengaluru in an email interaction with Nandita Vijayasimha. Excerpts:
How is ICAR-IIHR looking at this edition of National Horticulture Fair (NHF) 2025 in terms of offering new crop varieties and technologies?
The theme of the National Horticulture Fair 2025: Horticulture for Viksit Bharat - Nutrition, Empowerment and Livelihood focuses on showcasing and promoting varieties and technologies to improve nutrition through crops, which are nutritionally rich, empowering needy farmers with need-based information / technologies and programmes on various aspects of horticultural crops. The event is focused on technologies suitable for socio-economically deprived groups and to improve the productivity, income and livelihood in horticultural crops, which are socially compatible and acceptable, economically efficient, and environmentally safe.
At the fair to be held from February 27-March 1, 2025, about 250 institutions will display their innovations under different categories. The institute is also displaying over 250 varieties and technologies developed in-house on crop production, crop protection, post-harvest management, value addition, machinery & tools in horticulture. This year, we are displaying for the first-time new varieties and technologies like Watermelon-Sel-4, Bottle Gourd- Arka Shreyas. Leaf Curl Resistant Chilli Hybrids ArkaDhirithi and ArkaNihira. Avocado: Arka Coorg Ravi. Wax apple CHESM-1. Red Dragon fruit powder technology suitable for preparation of cookies, cakes, muffins, milkshake and dip tea bags. Arka Tender Jack fruit Frozen Patties and Kabab. These are Ready-to-Eat and Ready-to-Cook products with shelf life of one year under frozen conditions. Pummelo- Arka Chandra, Arka Anantha Custard Apple- ArkaNeelanchal Vikram. Training System in Dragon Fruit. LCV Resistant Chilli Hybrids- ArkaGagan, ArkaYashasvi, Arka Saanvi, Arka Tanvi, ArkaTejasvi. Arka Vitamin D enrichment technology in Elm oyster mushroom.
This is a phase of sustainable practices and climate change with global warming transforming cropping patterns, shrinking forest because of urbanisation, continuous use of pesticides to manage the crops from pests over a long period, how is ICAR- IIHR positioned to offer solutions to the horticulture farmers or growers?
With respect to climate change induced incidence of insect pests and diseases, IIHR is promoting environment-friendly approaches to minimise pesticide use. For example, Light cum suction trap based IPM (integrated pest management) in tomato for tuta disease management can effectively control and reduce the insecticide sprays by 50 per cent. Use of neem pellets in cabbage from start of the crop season can completely eliminate the use of synthetic insecticides for the management of cabbage pests, ensuring residue free produce. Other eco-friendly methods include use of marigold as a trap crop in tomato to control fruit borer; mustard as a trap crop in cabbage for diamond back moth. Microbials for insect and nematode pest management are being promoted. ICAR-IIHR has released multiple disease resistant varieties of tomato, chilli, capsicum, brinjal and cucurbitaceous crops.
Botanicals and medicinal plants are another area of interest that has caught on the interest of horticulturists, how would this area lead to commercialisation of cultivation?
The prospects and way forward for medicinal plant cultivation is bright, going by the awareness on the Indian System of Medicine. There is an increasing interest globally for natural and herbal products due to perceived health benefits. This demand drives the need for a steady supply of high quality raw materials. At ICAR-IIHR, significant work on high yielding varieties is being done for Aswagandha, Brahmi, Centella, Bhringraj, Kalmegh, Gymnema and Mucuna. This would go a long way in promoting cultivation of medicinal crops in the country and help in crop-diversification. Demand for ICAR-IIHR varieties of medicinal crops from the industry is noteworthy. However, medicinal plants unlike other crops require industry support for processing and value addition without which the farmers can hardly market the produce.
What are your views about technology implementation in this field which has led to the low-cost interventions in improving productivity?
Some of the low-cost technologies like selection of pest and disease-resistant varieties, high density planting, fertigation technology, IPM strategies are being implemented in the field leading to higher productivity. There exists ample scope for large-scale adoption of these technologies. Most of our technologies are implemented through outreach programmes like Farmers First, SCSP (scheduled castes sub-plan), TSP (Tribal Support Plan), NEH (North East Hill) and RKVY DST project on empowering women. These low-cost technology interventions, lead to improvement in soil and are environment-friendly with both technical viability and financial feasibility.
Today, ICAR-IIHR is the leader in promoting this low-cost technology intervention. The recently announced mission on High Yielding Seed Targeted development and propagation of seeds will boost our ongoing efforts on seed system research. The division will focus on evolving varieties and hybrids with high yield, pest resistance and climate resilience. At NHF 2025, ICAR-IIHR is demonstrating over 60 varieties and hybrids for the benefit of farmers and various stakeholders.
Would you be able to provide more details on ICAR-IIHR ‘s Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Protected Cultivation?
The Centre of Excellence on Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops has come up in 2.0ha land area in our campus in Bengaluru. A state-of-the-art vegetable seeding line and 19 protected cultivation structures are constructed with a total area of 1.1 hectares. Water harvesting facility from the polyhouse roof is created with a dug-out plastic lined rainwater harvesting pond of 40 lakh litre capacity. The project is funded by Mission Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Centrally sponsored scheme through the National Horticultural Mission-Karnataka. Farmers can gain hands-on-experience in protected cultivation of high value vegetable and flowers.
How do you view the current scene in Indian horticulture?
India’s horticulture sector has been identified as a sunrise sector. The recently launched Union government’s Clean Plant Programme (CPP), aims to increase the yield and productivity of horticulture crops in India. The focus of the Indian diet, shifting from mere calorie security to a nutrition-secure mind-set, has also led to the growth of horticultural sector in India.
What are the visible trends in the sector?
Horticulture is an important component of India’s economic development. This sector provides an opportunity to increase the income of farmers. Horticulture production in India has increased significantly, reaching 353 million tonnes in 2023-24, which has surpassed the food grain production (333 MT), that too from much less area of 29 million Ha for horticulture against 127.6 M. Ha for food grains. Agriculture grows at 4 per cent per annum whereas horticulture grows at 8 per cent per annum. It contributes about 33% to the agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) while using only 13.1% of the gross cropped area. Fruits and vegetables account for almost 90% of India's total horticulture production. India is also a major exporter of fresh fruits. In 2023-24, India exported fresh fruits worth $1.15 billion.
In terms of skilled workforce, how inclined is the current generation of agricultural graduates towards research?
The current generation of agricultural post-graduate students are interested to keep themselves updated in research both from basic and applied point of view. AI (artificial intelligence), machine learning, molecular approaches, modern crop improvement, production and protection coupled with post-harvest management are of paramount importance and research skill enhancement module is being taught in various courses.
India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally, after China. It is also the world's largest producer of bananas, mangoes, papayas, and guavas. Yet, fruit processing has taken a backseat. What is the reason for this?
Indian consumers prefer fresh vegetables and fruits on daily basis. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also exported from India. Lack of an ecosystem to improve fruit and vegetable processing, more specifically, availability of processible commodities, infrastructure, trained manpower, consumer education and culture of quality adherence are the main reasons. Processing of fruit and vegetables, even at small-scale, needs investment for infrastructure, processing machinery, and know-how, product development in compliance with FSSAI /Codex to manufacture throughout the year. Establishing processing unit needs efficient supply chain management with regular availability of fruits and vegetables to be able to convert them into finished products immediately. Products need attractive packaging to attract consumers and compete with established brands, which needs investment. A processing plant should be able to produce at least 4-5 products throughout the year to maximise the plant capacity. For this, ICAR-IIHR has established BESST HORT facility to incubate new-gen start-ups, entrepreneurs & enterprises offering technical-business mentoring, infrastructure, networking support, testing and validation services to guide agri-food processing ventures.
Union Budget 2025 included the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana-Developing Agri Districts Programme. For ICAR-IIHR what is the task on hand going forward?
On August 11, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modiji dedicated ‘109 climate-resilient varieties of different field and horticulture crops’ to the nation at New Delhi. Out of which 13 high yielding, climate-resilient and nutrient-rich varieties of fruit, vegetable, flower and medicinal crops are developed by ICAR-IIHR. We will multiply these varieties through seed village concept with training, handholding and buy-back of seeds. These varieties are available at our seed sale unit.
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