HORTICULTURE & SERICULTURE

Horticulture crops have gained considerable importance and popularity in the last decade as a means for diversification of land, providing remunerative returns, creating employment opportunities in rural areas, providing raw material for the good processing industry and improving foreign exchange earning though exports. Horticulture crops in Ranga Reddy are currently gown in 94139 AC which represents 30% to 40% of district total cropped area. The district has varied natural resource base for the tropical, subtropical and arid crops. With vast land and access to modern technology, which provides ideal condition for area expansion, increasing production to meet the internal and external demands. The area and production of horticulture crops in the district is given below. Crops Area (Ac) Fruits 28894, Vegetables 58318 Flowers 6276 Species 488 Medicinal & Aromatic Plants 61 Total 94139 Strength of the District Congenial Agro-climatic conditions for cultivation of different Vegetable crops. Educated and progressive farming community. Close proximity to twin city markets. Well distributed credit linkages. Availability of good research support form APHU, CRIDA, ICRISAT, NIRD etc, Well connected road and rail network to entire district. Strong support to horticulture sector from Government. Procurement of vegetables by corporate retail giants and partly avoiding middle men involvement. Existence of international airport Functioning of well organized market intelligence. Weakness of the District Rapid urbanization and shifting of vegetable cultivation to orchard crops. Depletion of ground water table. Unavailability of man power. Lack of processing units to process excess production. Poor post harvest management.

MISSION FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF HORTICULTURE (MIDH)Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture is functioning by the Horticulture Department. Executive Director is the Head of the department under control of Director  of Horticulture & Sericulture . For the benefit of the farmers of the District various components are functioning by the SHM i.e Area Expansion, 2nd & 3rd Year Maintenance, Construction of Green House under Protected Cultivation, Mulching  Establishment of Small & Model Nurseries in the district, Construction of Farm ponds, Post Harvest management like Pack house, Cold storage, Integrated Pack house, Ripening chambers,  under Farm Mechanization, the MIDG will supply the farm machinery garden tools on subsidy basis. OBJECTIVES OF SHM To provide holistic growth in horticulture through research, technology promotion, extension,processing and marketing. To establish convergence and synergy among various on-going and planned programs in the field of horticulture development. To promote the development and dissemination of technologies by blending traditional wisdom and frontier knowledge. To convert waste lands for producing fruits and vegetables.To create facilities for marketing & processing. MIDH STRATEGIES End-to-end approach covering production, post harvest management, processing and marketing Promote Research and Development (R&D) of technologies for production, post-harvest management and processing. Enhance acreage of cultivation as well as productivity through diversification from traditional crops and adopting cluster approach for suitable crops / plantations. Improving post harvest management, processing for value addition and marketing infrastructure. Coordinated approach and promote partnership, convergence and synergy among R&D,processing and marketing agencies in public as well as private sectors.Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)        Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana is functioning by the Horticulture Department. Executive Director is the Head of the department under control of Commissioner of Horticulture. For the benefit of the farmers of the District various components are functioning by the RKVY i.e, Permanent pandal , Mulching, Plastic crates.,  Summer Vegetable Production in the district on subsidy basis.Critical Intervention : Under the scheme  Supply of seedlings from COEs   Jeedimetial & Mulugu Direct Vegetable seedlings  assistance will be provided to the beneficiaries.  Poly house :The Scheme was started during 2014-15 with 75 % subsidy. The main concept of the scheme is to encourage the farmers to grow the vegetable and flower thought  the out year yet present 95% subsidy provided to SC/ST farmers only.Telangana micro irrigation project: The scheme was started during   November  2003 to increase  the production of the crops  and to utilize the water consumption .  All Category farmers in revenue villages irrespective of their economic status are eligible for Drip Irrigation/Micro Irrigation systems up to 5 Ha.  SC/ST Farmers are eligible for 100% subsidy. BC Farmers are eligible for 90% subsidy   And  other caste farmers are eligible for 80% subsidy. Portable Sprinklers for all category farmers are eligible for 75% subsidy limited to 1 Ha. only.DEPARTMENT OF SERICULTURE: Sericulture is an agro based industry. In Ranga Reddy district Small, marginal and big farmers are coming forward to take up Sericulture. To provide technical guidance to the farmers who come forward to take up Sericulture two Technical Service Centers established at Shadnagar & Chevella. The existing acreage in the district is 168 acres upto March-2019.Technical Service Centres Shadnagar and  Chevella: It is established at Shadnagar and Chevella  town.  Under this centers Chevella, Moinabad, Shankerpally, Shabad, Yacharam, Kandukur,  Maheshwaram,  Hayathnagar, Shamshabad, Keshampet, Kondurg, Farooqnagar, Kothur and Thalakondapally mandals are covered. The farmers are benefiting by utilizing technical guidance in taking up sericulture.Govt. Seed Farms: The mulberry saplings are raised and supplied to the interested new farmers who take up sericulture in Ranga Reddy district; three Mulberry Seed farms are established at Kammadanam, Linga Reddy Guda, Nazeebnagar and Mansanpally.  This year as per the mulberry plantation targets 11.00 lakhs saplings to be raised in farms and supply to the farmers at the cost basis  Rs.2.00/- per sapling.Govt. Cocoon Market: To dispose the Mulberry cocoons produced by the farmers, The Govt. Cocoon Market is established at Thrimulgherry, Secunderabad. The sericulture farmers of the district are disposing their product i.e. mulberry cocoons at this Marke.  The Market officer releases the cocoon incentive to the farmers for the produced cocoons i.e. Bivoltine cocoons Rs.75/- per kg within the state and outside the state sold out cocoons.Govt. Silk Reeling Unit, Shadnagar (6 Basins):   The Director of Sericulture, T.S., Hyderabad declared as notified cocoon market to extend support to sericulture farmers by procuring  950 kgs of cocoons and producing 125 kgs of raw silk daily.  Raw silk will be produced by utilizing reeling cocoons and supply to the silk weavers / twisters.Pvt. Reeling Unit, Kondannaguda(V), Farooq Nagar (M) (10 Basins):    In private sector one (10) basin reeling unit established in the year 2017 under Central Silk Board assistance.  In the unit daily 2000 kgs cocoons purchased from farmers and 30 kags of raw silk producing by the unit i.e. M/s. Sri Saibalaji silk fibers, Kondannaguda (V), Farooq naagar(M), Ranga Reddy Dist.Automatic Reeling Machine (400 ends) :         Sri.M.Venkat Reddy S/o. M.Narayan Reddy, H.no.1-23, Kondannaguda (V), Farooqnagar(M), Ranga Reddy Dist. with co-partner M.Venkata krishna, Plot.No.97, Cellar Shop No.1 Venkateswara Enclave, Qutbullapur, Hyd-67, vide DOS, Proc. Rc.No.202 / NF / 2017 / T6, dated.17.11.2019, sanctioned ARM under CSS (Backlog 2018-19) during the year 2019-20 @ Rs.1.22 crores of unit cost.     He should be able to identify & motivate a least 300-500 farmers to produce & supply around 200-250 MT of high quality Bivoltine cocoon per annum. The production of raw silk at installed capacity would be around 36 MT / annum on (2) dhift / day basis