Delhi, Nov 29<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a $98 million loan to improve horticulture crop farmers\u2019 access to certi\ufb01ed disease-free planting materials, which will boost their crops\u2019 yield, quality, and resilience to climate impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The signatories to the loan agreement for the Building India’s Clean Plant Programme were Ms. Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic A\ufb00airs, Ministry of Finance, and Kai Wei Yeo O\ufb03cer-in-Charge of ADB\u2019s India Resident Mission, for ADB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After signing the agreement, Ms. Mukherjee stated that the ADB funding will promote plant health that is vital for improving productivity of farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe project supports the Government of India\u2019s Atmanirbhar<\/em> Clean Plant Programme (CPP) that enhances plant health management. It will help develop regulatory framework and institutional systems to e\ufb00ectively implement the CPP for horticulture in India. The project will involve close consultation with private nurseries, researchers, state governments, and growers\u2019 associations to ensure its success and sustainability,\u201d said Mr. Yeo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plant health management promoted through the project will also help farmers adapt to climate change, as rising temperatures not only cause extreme weather events but also affect pest and disease behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This will be achieved through establishing clean plant centres dedicated to maintaining disease-free foundation materials. These centres will feature laboratories equipped with cutting-edge diagnostic testing methods and will be sta\ufb00ed with experts who are trained in clean plant centre operating procedures and diagnostic testing protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project will roll out a clean plant certi\ufb01cation scheme, accrediting private nurseries, and testing and certifying their planting materials. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plant health management promoted through the project will also help farmers adapt to climate change,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,35,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n