Horti- Entre-Preneurship & Employment generation

Technical Sessions on entrepreneurship development in the field of tissue culture, greenhouse cultivation, high tech nursery and value addition were attended by experts and 70 entrepreneurship aspirants and bankers. Financial assistance available for different areas in which Horti-entrepreneurship has scope was discussed among state department officers, bankers and delegates. Participated by Horti-entrepreneurs, State Department, Research Institutions, Bankers and experts from the horticulture sector, it was a one-day seminar. The potential Horti-Entrepreneurs joined from various Districts of the State. Legal issues, registration and government clearances related to financial requirement of different technologies were discussed.

A one day seminar was organized at ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow in collaboration of CARD (Center for Agriculture and Rural Development) inaugurated by Shri Sudhir Garg, Principal Secretary, Horticulture; Dr Anis Ansari, Chairman CARD, Shobhit Srivastava Regional Director, R P Singh, Additional Director, Horticulture; Dr S. Rajan, Director, ICAR-CISH, Mr Nabin Roy, AGM, NABARD, Ms Neera Chakravarty, Zonal Manager, Indian Bank attended the inaugural function.

Shri Ansari stressed on the importance of value addition in UP as the state is the second leading producer of horticulture crops. The increasing area under horticulture crops indicates the profitability avenues from the sector. Shri Sudhir Garg stressed on the entrepreneurship development in the field of horticulture and available support from the Government.

High tech nursery and greenhouses were discussed by the experts as increasing possibilities in the areas. The demand for quality planting material in Uttar Pradesh is increasing and nursery business is flourishing in Lucknow due to increasing demand for ornamental crops. Scope of tissue culture in Uttar Pradesh for different crops was discussed by Dr Maneesh Mishra and he presented how to establish a unit, economic aspects and marketing issues. Economic viability of the tissue culture lab was discussed with reference to crop selection and profitability. He stressed that tissue culture in ornamentals has a bright future.

Dr Rajan stated that Uttar Pradesh is a leader in the production of many of the vegetables and fruits. However, considering the volume of fruits and vegetables produced in the state processing of these commodities is a very low level. With the increasing entrepreneurship in different horticultural fields, there is a need to support and develop entrepreneurs for starting ventures in the field of fruit and vegetable processing. In Lucknow and other districts of UP, many future entrepreneurs have the opportunity to establish processing industries as the raw material availability is sufficient for running the factories during major part of the year.

Entrepreneurship development in fruit and vegetable processing has a lot of scope as many of the low-cost technologies can be adopted by the aspirants. ICAR-CISH Lucknow has developed several technologies in post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables. Ten technologies have been licensed to entrepreneurs in different states. CISH is one of the important institutes working on value addition technologies for fruits and vegetables. These technologies will be showcased and interested delegates will be facilitated with the know-how for establishing the venture.

Entrepreneurs in the field of horticulture will be assets to the state and need to be cultivated, motivated and remunerated to the greatest possible extent. Entrepreneurs can change the scenario of the mango industry in Lucknow and the area around the mango capital Malihabad. If successful, their innovations may improve the living standards of farmers and also create jobs and the conditions for a prosperous society.

The state has enormous potential in these sectors. Nursery and Tissue culture are the newer areas in which Entrepreneurs to be helped in branding their products and to provide technical and legal guidance.