150 Hi-Tech Nurseries Based on Israeli Technology to be Set up in Uttar Pradesh | 14 Jun 2022

Why in the News?

• Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up 150 hi-tech nurseries based on Israeli technology, under the schemes of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), to promote horticulture and to serve the twin objective of improving rural livelihoods.

Key Points

• These hi-tech nurseries will be manned by women from self-help groups set up under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission. According to the estimates of the Horticulture Department, the average cost of the hi-tech nursery will be around One crore rupees.
• Under the scheme, two hi-tech nurseries are being developed in each district to grow fruits like plum, pomegranate, jackfruit, lemon, mango, guava, moringa, dragon-fruit etc.
• These 150 hi-tech nurseries will be set up in the state's Agricultural Science Centers, on the campus of agricultural universities and in the research centers of the horticulture department, so that farmers can be easily trained.
• These nurseries will be equipped with proper fencing, irrigation facility, infrastructure like high-tech greenhouses and will be maintained through other clusters of CLF (Cluster Level Federation)/State Rural Livelihood Mission.
• The state government plans to grow quality plants and seeds in high-tech nurseries along with centers of excellence to increase the production of quality crops. It also aims to provide adequate crop for the growing number of food processing industries.
• The plants produced in these nurseries will be sold for plantation by interested local farmers, farmer producer organizations (FPOs) at the regional level, other private nurseries at the state level and various state governments at the national level.
• Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set an ambitious target of increasing the area under cultivation of horticulture crops from 11.6 percent to 16 percent and food processing units from 6 percent to 20 percent during the next five years to increase the overall yield along with processing of fruits, vegetables and spices.
• It may be mentioned that Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for fruits and vegetables has been set up in Basti and Kannauj districts respectively so that farmers can get quality saplings.