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What is Horticulture?

Horticulture, which refers to the cultivation of crops in gardens,is derived from the Latin terms hortus, which means "garden," and cultura, which means "cultivation.

" it is a science and art of  Producing, using, and improving fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other plants for human consumption, non-nutritional uses, and social demands 

 M.H. Marigowda is regarded as the Father of Indian Horticulture, while L.H. Bailey is regarded as the Father of American
Horticulture.Horticulture has been further classified into the following categories:

• Pomology: Planting, harvesting, storing, processing, and marketing of fruit and nut crops.
• Olericulture: Producing and marketing vegetables.
• Arboriculture: Study, selection and care of individual trees, shrubs or other perennial woody plants.
• Ornamental Horticulture: It has two subparts-
  Floriculture i.e.Production, use and marketing of floral crops and Landscape Horticulture i.e. Production and marketing of plants used to beautify the outdoor environment.

Significance of Horticulture for India

• All kinds of fresh fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants are produced in India thanks to the country's diverse agro-climatic conditions.
• Horticulture crops play a significant part in the Indian economy by creating jobs, offering raw materials to different food processing companies, and enhancing farm profitability through increased production and foreign exchange export revenues.
• Comparatively speaking, horticultural crops produce more per unit area than field crops.
• Such crops are very valuable, labor-intensive, and provide year-round employment. It has become more well-known due to agriculture's increasing contribution to Gross Value Addition.
• They are in high demand both domestically and abroad and a reliable source of foreign currency.
• It is critical to meet the nation's anticipated 650 MT fruit and vegetable demand by 2050.

Key  horticulture Statistics of India

•  After China, India is the world's second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables.
• A sizable share of India's total agricultural output is made up of horticultural crops. They have a large area under cultivation and provide around 28% of the nation's GDP (GDP).
• 37% of all agricultural goods exported from India are made up of these crops.
• On an area of 25.66 million hectares, the nation produced 320.77 million tonnes of horticulture in 2019–20, the biggest amount ever.

Achievements and growth of horticulture so far

•  This sector has grown in importance over the previous few decades by increasing its contribution to the agriculture and related industries' Gross Value Addition.
• A comprehensive strategy is being used to carry out the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), which aims to increase the production of horticulture crops while lowering post-harvest losses.
• Fruit and vegetable production now outpaces the nation's production of food grains.
•  From 211.2 million tonnes in 2007-2008 to 311.71 million tonnes in 2018-19, the total horticulture production has grown.
• India ranks #1 in the production of banana, mango, lime & lemon, papaya, and okra and is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables worldwide.

Challenges of the sector 

• Faces high post-harvest loss and gaps in post-harvest management due to less or limited input by machinery and equipment.
• Lack of supply chain infrastructures like cold storage and well-connected transport networks.
• Difficulties in setting up due to higher input costs and limited availability of market intelligence, mainly for exports.
• There are no safety net provisions like the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for foodgrains.
• The production of horticultural commodities is far less as compared to the existing demand in the country.

Key Government initiative for a progressive Horticulture sector:

• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH):It is a centrally sponsored programme for the comprehensive development of the fruit, vegetable, and other horticulture industries. In accordance with MIDH, the Government of India provides 60% of the overall budget for development programmes throughout all states (with the exception of the North Eastern and Himalayan states, where the GOI provides 90% of the budget), while State governments provide 40% of the budget. It offers five main horticulture programmes:

1. National Horticulture Mission (NHM)
2. Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH)
3. National Horticulture Board (NHB)
4. Coconut Development Board (CDB)
5. Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland.

The productivity of Indian horticulture can be greatly increased, which is essential to meet the rising demand of the nation's expanding population. Some of the recent initiatives, such as the emphasis on the production of planting materials, the cluster development programme, the push for credit through the establishment of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, and the promotion of FPOs (Farmers Producer Organizations) are vital steps in the right direction.