Clean Plant Programme launched with ₹1765.67 crore outlay under MIDH

The question asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to state details regarding the launch, certification parameters, structural checks, financial assistance criteria, digital integration, and export impact of the Clean Plant Programme under MIDH.

Asked and answered by: Asked by Smt. Bharti Pardhi and Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne; Answered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan).

What the government said

• The Clean Plant Programme has been launched with an outlay of Rs. 1765.67 Crore under MIDH.
• Nucleus/mother stocks (G1) for crops like grapes, citrus, mango, and avocado will be maintained at Clean Plant Centres hosted in ICAR institutions.
• The programme covers all major clonally propagated fruit crops, including those in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Large and medium-scale nurseries will be supported to establish infrastructure for generation-2 (G2) planting material and tissue culture labs.
• Structural checks to prevent sub-standard strains will be provided through a proposed certification scheme.
• Financial assistance is provided for establishing 15 large and 60 medium nurseries, including for high-value citrus and walnut crops.
• Specific criteria for disbursing fiscal assistance are currently under preparation.
• A digital platform will be developed for end-to-end traceability and quality assurance of planting material.
• The programme aims to improve global market acceptability and export competitiveness by ensuring compliance with phytosanitary requirements.

Also in the document

• The government stated that there is currently no proposal for integrating the certified nursery database with national digital public marketplace networks.
• The specific criteria for disbursing fiscal assistance to nurseries are noted as being 'under preparation' rather than already established.