Connect with:
Friday / May 17. 2024

logo
mobile-logo
HomePosts Tagged "Sunae Kim"
AgroPolicy, Finance, Horticulture, India

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $98 million loan to improve horticulture crop farmers’ access to certified disease-free planting materials, which will boost their crops’ yield, quality, and resilience to climate impacts. 

This project supports India’s agricultural transformation. ADB’s financing will support the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program (CPP), which was announced in February 2023 to establish clean plant centres and a certification scheme that will ensure farmers can purchase disease-free planting materials from private nurseries. 

“Horticulture is considered a primary engine for enhancing Indian farmers’ income due to its high value and nutritional importance. Ensuring the health of plants is vital to improving the productivity of farmers, especially since India has become among the top global producers of horticulture crops,” said Sunae Kim ADB Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist. “Plant health management will also help farmers adapt to climate change, as rising temperatures not only cause extreme weather events but also affect pest and disease behaviour.” 

The project will establish at least six clean plant centres dedicated to maintaining disease-free foundation materials. These centres will feature laboratories equipped with cutting-edge diagnostic testing methods and will be staffed with experts who are trained in clean plant operating procedures and diagnostic testing protocols. The project will also develop regulatory frameworks for the CPP, in partnership with private nurseries and researchers. It will roll out a clean plant certification scheme, accrediting private nurseries, and testing and certifying their planting materials. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.    

The project will be implemented by the

Finance, Horticulture, India, Schemes - Banks, Sustainability, Water

The project will improve on-farm irrigation and water management in about 6,000 hectares of farmland by rehabilitating and constructing new irrigation facilities

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $130 million loan to increase agricultural productivity and promote horticulture agribusinesses to raise farmers’ income in Himachal Pradesh, India.

The Himachal Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value Addition Project will help increase the income and resilience to the effects of climate change of at least 15,000 farm households in Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmour, Solan, and Una.

The project will improve on-farm irrigation and water management in about 6,000 hectares of farmland by rehabilitating and constructing new irrigation facilities, establishing new water sources, and strengthening the capacity of water user associations and of Jal Shakti Vibhag (Water Resources Department).

Farmers will be organised into cluster-wide community horticulture production and marketing associations (CHPMAs) and district-wide CHPMA cooperative societies. They will be introduced to other agricultural practices such as intercropping, beekeeping, and other modern agronomic techniques and skills. A farmer-producer company (FPC) will be created at the state level to lead agribusiness development with the aim of ensuring profitability and access to markets of subtropical horticulture. The FPC will handle business plan development; agribusiness promotion; and designing value-addition facilities such as sorting and packaging facilities, and storage and collection centres. It will also assist district CHPMAs in managing these facilities.

“More than half of Himachal Pradesh’s land area is in the mountains and 90 per cent of the population lives in rural areas that are dependent on agriculture,” said ADB Sunae Kim Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist for South Asia. “Improving subtropical horticulture in the state offers a lot of economic opportunities to farmer households. Supporting horticulture value chains will also boost the subsector’s contribution to the country’s development and food security.”

The project will improve on-farm irrigation and