Additionally, the Mann Government is providing a forty per cent cost subsidy to offer special relief to vegetable growers affected by floods
Punjab’s Agri-Evolution: How the Mann Government is Transforming the State into a Horticulture Powerhouse
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's Punjab Government has significantly intensified efforts to expand the horticulture sector and increase farmers' income across the state. Under Horticulture Minister Shri Mohinder Bhagat’s direction, the department encourages farmers to transition from traditional crops toward diversification using policy support, financial assistance, and modern technology. Throughout 2025, the Horticulture Department reached several milestones, emerging as a national frontrunner in strengthening agricultural infrastructure.
Providing further details, Minister Shri Mohinder Bhagat said that Punjab’s Horticulture Department again ranked number one among all states for effectively implementing the centrally sponsored Agriculture Infrastructure Fund scheme. He said that the department acts as the nodal agency in Punjab, ensuring the scheme’s smooth and transparent execution. To date, loans totalling Rs 7,100 crore have been sanctioned for more than 30,000 agricultural projects under this fund.
The Mann government emphasises horticulture as a critical factor for increasing farmers' income. Due to focused departmental efforts and crop diversification, Punjab’s horticulture area expanded from 481,616 to 521,000 hectares.
To further strengthen the sector, Shri Bhagat announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art Horticulture Development Centre at Ladhowal in Ludhiana. Functioning as a one-stop knowledge hub, this centre will familiarise farmers with modern techniques and play a vital role in motivating them to transition from the traditional wheat–paddy cycle toward high-value horticultural crops.
The minister highlighted the ‘Apna Pind–Apna Bagh’ campaign, a major grassroots initiative directing horticultural development by planting fruit-bearing trees on village panchayat lands. Income from these orchards is designated for village development, effectively strengthening the rural economy.
Furthermore, under the National Horticulture Mission, financial assistance totalling Rs 1,575 lakh has been released to farmers for establishing new orchards, cultivating vegetables and flowers, mushroom production, and beekeeping.
To promote floriculture, the department provides financial assistance of Rs14,000 per acre through the State Plan Scheme. During the current financial year, a subsidy of Rs17.40 lakh has been disbursed under this scheme.
Minister Shri Bhagat said that under the Post-Harvest Handling Scheme, a fifty per cent subsidy is provided for plastic crates and carton boxes utilised for handling fruits and vegetables. During this current financial year, subsidies totalling Rs 23.26 lakh have been released.
Furthermore, under the electricity and water conservation scheme, farmers adopting drip irrigation and orchard plantation receive an incentive of Rs 10,000 per acre, with Rs 47.56 lakh released as subsidy this year. Additionally, a fifty percent subsidy is granted for replacing polyhouse cladding material, with Rs 140.51 lakh disbursed.
To support small-scale mushroom cultivation, the department provides a subsidy of Rs 80,000 per unit, with Rs 54.66 lakh in financial assistance released.
Shri Bhagat said that a Centre of Excellence for onions is being developed at Kheri, Sangrur, under the Indo-Dutch cooperation agreement to promote export–import diversification.
He further noted that three specialised fruit estates – the Pear Estate at Amritsar, the Litchi Estate at Pathankot, and the Guava Estate at Patiala – have been established to significantly boost regional fruit production and farmers' income.
Additionally, the Mann Government is providing a forty per cent cost subsidy to offer special relief to vegetable growers affected by floods.
The Horticulture Minister reaffirmed that the Punjab Government will continue launching new initiatives to strengthen the horticulture sector. These efforts are dedicated to ensuring sustainable income growth for farmers while contributing to their overall prosperity and the long-term economic stability of the entire state.
