Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP) prepared for Farmers Benefits

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has prepared the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP) to enhance the global competitiveness of the Indian horticulture sector.

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Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) UPSC Relevance

Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) is important for welfare of farmers in India, especially the most vulnerable one. Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) is also an important scheme for UPSC Prelims 2023 and UPSC Mains Exam (GS Paper 2- Governance initiatives for welfare of various vulnerable section).

Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) in News

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has prepared the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP).
A meeting for proper implementation of Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP) was also held under the chairmanship of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar.

Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP)

About: Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) was launched by the government to enhance the global competitiveness of the Indian horticulture sector.
Ministry: Horticulture Cluster Development Program is being implemented under overall supervision and guidance of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW).
Nodal Agency: The National Horticulture Board has been designated as the Nodal Agency for implementation of Cluster Development Programme as a component of Central Sector Scheme of NHB.
Mandate: CDP is designed to leverage the geographical specialisation of horticulture clusters and promote integrated and market-led development of preproduction, production, post-harvest, logistics, branding, and marketing activities.

Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) Objectives

Key objectives of CDP are-

Address the concerns of the horticulture value chain from pre-production, production, postharvest management and value addition to logistics, marketing and branding, in an integrated manner for enhancing competitiveness in the domestic and export market.
Reduce harvest and post-harvest losses by developing/ expanding/ upgrading the infrastructure for post-harvest handling of produce, value addition and market linkages.
Facilitate the introduction of innovative technologies and practices to help enhance the global competitiveness of focus cluster crops.
Facilitate the dovetailing of resources, including convergence of various government schemes in order to entrench stakeholders in the global value chains.
Build the capacity of stakeholders and enhance farmers’ income through cluster-specific interventions, including brand promotion.

Implementation of Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP)

MoA&FW has identified 55 horticulture clusters, of which 12 have been selected for the pilot launch of the Programme.
Based on the learnings from the pilot project, the programme will be scaled up to cover all 55 clusters.
The experiences gathered from the implementation of the pilot phase will provide policy insights and field level learnings that will help in better implementation of programme in all horticulture clusters across India.
For the implementation of the CDP, a Government/Public Sector entity will be appointed as a Cluster Development Agency (CDA) based on the recommendations of the State/Central Government.
This involvement of state government bodies through CDA will ensure institutionalisation of learnings which can be replicated in future for development of new clusters in the country.

Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP) FAQs

Which ministry has launched the Horticulture Cluster Development Program (CDP)?

Ans. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India, has launched a new programme for Horticulture Cluster Development.