The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare conducted a Stakeholder Consultation on Horticulture Clusters and Value Chain Development with a Focus on Vegetable Clusters at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi, where a diverse range of participants, including farmer groups, government agencies, ministries, start-ups and private sector players, to deliberate on the future of agriculture in India.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Ramnath Thakur stressed the importance of supporting smallholder farmers through FPOs and the creation of clusters that provide essential infrastructure and market access, ensuring long-term sustainability and grassroots impact.
He highlighted the need to increase storage infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses and reduce price fluctuations during various seasons. Different parts of the country face a price difference for the same produce, which is a major issue the sector is facing. He concluded by emphasizing that the sector’s focus should be ‘No child without access to fruits and vegetables’, to counter the nationwide problem of malnutrition among children.
He urged all the attending stakeholders to keep the farmers at the centre of all their discussions and suggest solutions to maximize their profits. Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Devesh Chaturvedi emphasized the holistic approach of the Cluster Development Programme (CDP). He focused on the need for an incentive-based policy for post-harvest management to ensure stakeholder players get involved in the value chain development.
He highlighted that CDP is not just about boosting horticulture productivity but integrating the entire value chain—from pre-production to marketing- ensuring global competitiveness and scalability across regions.
He emphasized that producers must be linked to the urban markets and should be kept at the centre of all the development in the sector. In all the progress that has happened till now, the food processing push of the ministry has played a major role and the state governments must provide support for further growth.
As reiterated by the key speakers, the development of horticulture clusters is indeed the way forward for sustainable growth in the sector.
