Thrust Areas in Horticulture Sector
- Priorities on Horticulture and Plantation crops like tea, cashewnut, coconut, banana, ginger, turmeric, arecanut, etc. as these give higher revenue returns and encourage permanent cultivation thus having positive impact on the areas which hitherto had been under traditional jhum practices besides supporting food security.
- Economic transformation in production of horticulture crops with encouragement on growing of marketable crops and adoption of appropriate technology to ensure adequate production and economic returns.
- Strengthening of existing horticultural nurseries and encouraging of private nurseries for raising of quality planting materials in large numbers, setting up of tissue culture laboratories.
- Production of diseased-free certified and true-to-type seeds through establishment of seed farms in all the districts of the State to be supplemented with setting up of seed certification agency, introduction of seed village concepts in the pattern of registered growers for seed potato to be looked into as an alternative.
- Ensuring availability of irrigation facilities from minor irrigation projects, diesel pumps and shallow tube wells.
- Increasing the availability of proper horticultural machineries and tools through scheme for mechanization.
- Popularization of low–volume, high value items like dehydrated mushrooms, black pepper and other spices to be consciously attempted.
- Steps to be expedited to assess the viability of the two Government food processing units at Shillong and Dainadubi for smooth operation on commercial basis to be made available through constant ‘Revolving fund’.
- More emphasis on provision of poly-houses in both urban and rural setup for further increase of production of off-season vegetables, flowers and vegetable seeds in heavy rain-fed areas of the State.
- Schemes for tea cultivation which are currently limited to the three districts will also be extended to other districts in compact areas.
- Emphasis on new activities like floriculture, organic cultivation, etc. with special mention on cultivation of orchid which have export potential.
- Encouraging private entrepreneurs to set up small scale agro-based processing units near the horticulture cultivated areas for undertaking intermediate and preliminary processing of horticultural produce with suitable incentive from the State Government and package being offered by the National Horticulture Board (NHB). Department to also provide training support to entrepreneurs and farmers.
- Attempts to improve marketing facilities and marketing linkage and strengthening of minimum support price.
- Emphasis on the development of rural infrastructure for effective storage facilities and market infrastructure.
- Use of Information Technology through setting-up of computer network for imparting new technology and for providing marketing intelligence system.
- Implementation of existing developmental schemes in right earnest and formulation of schemes for employment generation that would provide ample scope for involving of un-employed to enable them to earn their livelihood. Schemes for tea cultivation which are presently limited only to the three districts of the State to be extended to other districts in compact areas.
- Popularisation and commercialisation of indigenous fruits and plants.
- Commercialisation of indigenous herbs and medicinal plants.