In News:

The National Horticulture Board (NHB) has revised the guidelines for its Development of Commercial Horticulture through Production and Post-Harvest Management of Horticulture Crops scheme to ensure more equitable distribution of government assistance and prevent concentration of subsidies within the same family.

The revised guidelines expand the definition of “family” to include the applicant’s spouse, father, mother, sons and daughters, replacing the earlier definition limited to the husband, wife and dependent minor children.

Key Changes

• One Family–One Subsidy: Only one family member can receive financial assistance under NHB schemes. Assistance received by one member will be treated as assistance received by the entire family. The restriction applies across NHB schemes/components, including assistance through HUFs, partnership/proprietorship firms and companies.
• Exclusion of certain beneficiaries: Current constitutional post-holders; ministers, MPs, MLAs/MLCs, municipal corporation mayors and district panchayat chairpersons; serving Central/State government employees, PSUs, autonomous bodies and local bodies (except MTS/Class-IV/Group D); pensioners receiving ?10,000 or more monthly pension; and groups of farmers are excluded. Family members of such persons may receive assistance once, subject to the revised family definition.
• Lower subsidy: Assistance has been reduced from 50% to 35% in general-category States and 45% in North-Eastern/Himalayan States.
• Voluntary exit: Beneficiaries may exit during the lock-in period by refunding the subsidy with applicable interest, subject to prescribed conditions.

Horticulture & the NHB

• Horticulture covers fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, plantation crops and ornamental plants.
• India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally. Horticulture production reached 367.72 million tonnes in 2024–25, including 114.51 MT fruits and 219.67 MT vegetables. It contributes around 37% of GVO of the agricultural crops sub-sector.
• The NHB scheme operates under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and promotes high-tech commercial farming, protected cultivation, post-harvest management and cold-chain infrastructure. Crops include capsicum, cucumber, tomato, rose, lilium and chrysanthemum.

National Horticulture Board (NHB)

• Established in 1984 as an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
• It promotes production clusters, post-harvest/cold-chain infrastructure, quality planting material and advanced horticultural technologies.