NAWO-DHAN: New Horticulture Agribusiness Initiative

November 11, 2024

The Agriculture department is initiating a pilot project under the NAWO-DHAN scheme. This project aims to enhance horticulture agribusiness. It targets land owners and cultivators who have shown interest. An expression of interest (EoI) was released in October. So far, 22 land owners and 149 cultivators have responded. The response includes offers for 1,600 acres across 11 districts.

Project Overview

NAWO-DHAN stands for New Agriculture Wealth Opportunities Driving Horticulture Agribusiness Networking. The project focuses on increasing food crop production in Kerala. It aims to utilise land that is currently fallow or unused. The initiative will engage farmer groups through Service Level Agreements (SLA). This approach treats farming as a service, ensuring no transfer of land ownership.

Selection Process

The Agriculture department is currently shortlisting farmers. This selection is based on technical and financial criteria. The goal is to identify suitable candidates from the 149 cultivators who expressed interest. Selected farmers will collaborate under the NAWO-DHAN framework.

Economic Context

Kerala’s agricultural landscape presents challenges. There is an important production-demand gap for vegetables and fruits. Estimates show a gap of 13.76 lakh metric tonnes for vegetables and 14 lakh metric tonnes for fruits. This project seeks to address these gaps by promoting better land use.

Land Use Statistics

Kerala has a total cropped area of 25,23,014.31 hectares. Of this, more than 85% is dedicated to perennial crops. Only 15% is allocated to food crops. Additionally, around 1,03,334 hectares of land are currently fallow. The NAWO-DHAN initiative aims to convert some of this unused land into productive agricultural space.

Investment Opportunities

The state government is promoting this scheme to attract investments. Since agricultural income is not taxable, it is an appealing option for investors. The initiative encourages both individuals and multinational corporations to invest in high-tech value cropping. This could enhance the agricultural output of the region.

Important Facts for Exams:
NAWO-DHAN: NAWO-DHAN stands for New Agriculture Wealth Opportunities Driving Horticulture Agribusiness Networking. It aims to enhance food crop production in Kerala through innovative farming practices.
SLA: Service Level Agreements are used in the NAWO-DHAN scheme. SLAs treat farming as a service. This approach ensures no transfer of land ownership while promoting agricultural productivity.

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