Clean Plant Program: GoI to set up 10 Clean Plant Centres

The Government of India is planning to create ten clean plant centres. These centres will focus on increasing fruit crop production. During the Union Budget 2023-24, the finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced the Atma Nirbhar Clean Plant Program. Under the programme, the Government of India will focus on increasing fruit production in the country.

About the Clean Plant Centres

• The centres will be created based on the model centres in Israel, the Netherlands, and the USA
• Centres will focus on fruit crops such as walnut, apple, almond, pomegranate, mango, almond, grapes, and others
• GoI will invest Rs 2,200 crores in these centres by 2030

Need for the centres

The major challenge in horticulture is getting disease-free plant materials. Importing plant materials is expensive. Also, it is difficult to store the plants in quarantine for two years. The centres will help in reducing this period to six months.

Demand for planting material has increased in the country. Unfortunately, India is now importing these plant materials. For instance, between 2018 and 2020, 21.44 lakh apple plant materials were imported. In 2020, 49,57 lakh apple plant material was imported.

What will the centres do?

The centres will provide services such as disease diagnosis, therapeutics, creating baby plants from the mother, multiplying the plants, etc.

What will the plan be?

The centres will be funded completely by the Central Government. The centres will be implemented in the PPP model. The National Horticulture Board is the implementing agency.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2023

Category: Economy & Banking Current Affairs • Government Schemes Current Affairs