Guest Author: Mr. Anil Vashishtha, Deptartment Of Public Relations, Madhya Pradesh.
25 April 2025, Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a prominent hub for food processing and horticulture, making a significant mark nationally. The state’s horticultural crops are in high demand domestically and internationally, providing substantial economic benefits to farmers. The state’s growing prominence in the sector was underscored at the Global Investors Summit in Bhopal, where investors proposed investments worth over ₹4,000 crore in the horticulture sector, highlighting the state’s innovative potential and large-scale production capabilities.
Madhya Pradesh has seen significant growth in horticulture over the past two decades. In the last 5 years alone, the area under horticulture increased by 23.72%, from 21.75 lakh hectares in 2019-20 to 26.91 lakh hectares in 2023-24. Over the last 20 years, the area under horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and medicinal plants) expanded from 4.67 lakh hectares to 27.71 lakh hectares, a nearly 500% increase. Production surged from 35.40 lakh metric tonnes to 417.89 lakh metric tonnes, marking a historic 1000% rise. This growth is positioning Madhya Pradesh as a major hub for both horticulture and food processing.
“The state government is implementing various projects to make horticulture a primary income source for farmers. We aim to increase the area of horticultural crops to 33.91 lakh hectares in next five years” – Dr. Mohan Yadav, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh’s climate is particularly favorable for horticultural crops, giving it an edge over other states. With the state’s productivity stands at 15.02 tonnes per hectare, 23.21% higher than the national average of 12.19 tonnes per hectare. Notably, horticultural crop productivity is over five times that of food crops, which is 2.82 tonnes per hectare, highlighting the sector’s significant potential.
Under Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav’s leadership, the state government is working to make horticulture a primary income source for farmers. To achieve this, the government is implementing various projects, including river linking initiatives envisioned by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Ken-Betwa Link Project, estimated to cost ₹24,293 crore, and the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal Interstate River Link Project, valued at ₹35,000 crore, are underway. Additionally, the Tapti River Basin Mega Recharge Scheme is being launched in collaboration with the Maharashtra government. For 2025-26, 19 large and medium and 87 minor irrigation projects are planned, expected to significantly expand the state’s irrigated area.
The Horticulture Department is promoting micro-irrigation by providing grants for drip and sprinkler systems. So far, ₹130 crore in grants have been given to 22,167 beneficiaries, benefiting 26,355 hectares of crops. Under the “Per Drop More Crop” scheme, ₹100 crore has been allocated for 2025-26. With these efforts, Chief Minister Dr . Yadav aims to increase the area under horticultural crops from 26.91 lakh hectares to 33.91 lakh hectares within the next five years.
The Horticulture Department’s efforts toward achieving these targets are commendable. Forty district-level nurseries and e-nurseries have been upgraded with technology, and an online portal has been created for plant distribution. The Chief Minister has directed the development of new nurseries on vacant government lands through public-private partnerships (PPP).
Three Centres of Excellence are being established with Israeli technology at a cost of ₹14.74 crore, focusing on high-value vegetables in Morena, citrus crops in Chhindwara, and export-oriented crops (mango and vegetables) in Harda. Additionally, an integrated potato farming project was initiated in Morena under PPP mode, where farmers have developed new potato varieties over the past three years. A ₹13 crore high-tech floriculture nursery is also being set up in Gwalior.
Madhya Pradesh tops the country in producing oranges, spices, garlic, ginger and coriander among horticultural crops. Madhya Pradesh ranks second in pea, onion and chilli production, and third in flower and medicinal plant production. The state’s cultivation area includes 4.61 lakh hectares for fruits, 12.40 lakh hectares for vegetables, 8.99 lakh hectares for spices, 14,000 hectares for flowers and 48,000 hectares for medicinal and aromatic plants.
The state government is promoting horticultural crops to gain global recognition, with efforts underway to secure GI tags for 15 crops. Two crops, Sundarja mango from Rewa and Riyavan garlic from Ratlam, have already received GI tags. The others include red chilli from Khargone, peas from Jabalpur, banana from Burhanpur, custard apple from Seoni, brinjal from Narsinghpur, Gajaria mango from Betul, Balam cucumber from Ratlam, water chestnut from Jabalpur, cumin from Indore, Khurasani tamarind from Dhar, Malvi Garadu and Mawabati from Dewas, and Khurchan from Satna.
To enhance the value of crops, processing and market distribution are essential. This approach ensures better prices for farmers and generates employment opportunities. To achieve this, the Food Processing Department was established in 1982, initially under the Agriculture Department. Since 2005, it has been associated with the Horticulture Department, aiming to secure good prices for produce.
The state provides financial assistance to food processing industries under the Micro Food Units and Processing Industries Promotion Policy, launched in 2014. Eligible units can receive a grant of up to 10% of the project cost, ranging from ₹2.5 crore to ₹25 crore . Between 2018 and 2024-25, 242 units worth over ₹85 crore were established. Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Enterprises Scheme (PMFME), a record 11,597 units were set up from 2021-22 to 2024-25, with a maximum credit-linked grant of up to 35% for private units.
The state government is working to create a market for horticultural produce. A buyer-seller conference was held in July 2024. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has emphasised organising fairs, workshops and a special horticulture and processing summit to promote the sector. This highlights the growing importance of horticulture and the government’s commitment to it. Recognising horticulture’s potential for farmer prosperity and economic self-reliance, the government and farmers are aligned, which is expected to yield positive outcomes in the future.
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