Infrastructure Development for Horticulture Sector in India : Public Sector Investment Initiatives

In spite of the efforts and initiatives undertaken by the NHB, NCDC, APEDA, NABARD, Commercial banks, and other funding agencies to create proper and adequate post-harvest infrastructure for horticulture crops, the development of PHI related facilities in horticulture sector is not impressive so far, chiefly because of huge capital investment required to develop this sector and curb the losses emanating from post-harvest operations. The cumulative assistance sanctioned by these agencies for PHI related facilities hardly works out to Rs.3,000 crores, accounting for 10 per cent of the actual investment required to develop PHI related facilities for horticulture sector of India. However, the policies initiated in the early 2000 and various programme initiatives undertaken in more recent times by the NHB, NCDC, APEDA, NABARD, Food Processing Industry, and other agencies engaged in developing PHI related facilities for horticultural crops, and also private sector investment in horticulture have certainly given a fresh fillip not only to the expansion of the horticulture production base of India but also to the exports of these high value products from the country. The goals set forth by these agencies for the growth and development of horticulture sector in India are truly worth emulating and a heartening feature indeed