Question : FLORICULTURE

(a) whether the Government has any scheme to exploit the potential of floriculture in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the measures taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (PROF. K.V. THOMAS)

(a) to (c): Yes, Madam. The Government has implemented a number of schemes to promote floriculture in the country which are as follows:

(i) The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture is implementing two Centrally Sponsored Schemes namely (a) Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in North Eastern States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh (TMNE) and (b) National Horticulture Mission (NHM) for the remaining states for the overall development of horticultural crops including flowers in the country.

(ii) Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has set up Special Floriculture Rehabilitation Fund (SFF) in the XIth Plan with an outlay of Rs.26.59 crore to provide financial assistance to sick floriculture units so as to nurse them back to health thereby enabling them to produce exportable quality produce. Besides, the following projects have also been implemented:

(a) For processing and mechanized handling of bulbous material, using latest equipments with Dutch technology and expertise at Chhaffi, Nainital (Uttarakhand). The capacity of the project, set up with assistance from ASIDE scheme of the Department of Commerce, is 30 million flower bulbs per annum and the product range is Lilium, Tulip, Gladiolus, Iris, Zanthedeschia.

(b) For production of Cymbidium Orchids, projects are being setup at a cost of Rs.1.22 crore and a pack house for anthurium at a cost of Rs.3.09 crore at Rango and Melli in Sikkim with assistance from ASIDE scheme.

(iii) Six agri-export zones have been set-up to promote the floriculture industry in key producing regions in various part of the country namely Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.

(iv) New floriculture units are now coming up in these AEZs and new products are also being introduced. Besides fresh cut flowers, there are investment also taking place in the production of bulbs, potted plants and other new products for the international markets.

(v) APEDA has setup cold storage and cargo handling facilities at the key airports of New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum and Kolkatta.

(vi) To develop a market locally (a supply base for exports), APEDA has also setup Flower Auction cum Market Facilitation Centre (FAMFC) at Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Noida, etc.