Agriculture Ministry sanctions Rs.81.86 crore to N-E states

Shillong, Mar 8 (UNI) The Union Ministry of Agriculture has released Rs 81.86 crore to the North Eastern States during 2006-07, under the Centrally-Sponsored Scheme on Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in North Eastern Region.

Official sources said the scheme aims at establishing convergence and synergy among numerous ongoing governmental programmes through horizontal and vertical integration of these programmes, to ensure adequate, appropriate, timely and concurrent attention to all the links in the production, post-harvest and consumption chain.

India is today the second largest producer of both fruits and vegetables in the world. The area under horticulture is expected to be about 20 million hectares in 2006-07.

The National Horticultural Mission (NHM) aims at doubling horticultural production by 2012. Under the NHM, action plans for the States, Union Territories and various agencies have been approved during 2006-07.

UNI