HORTICULTURE SCHEMES

The agro-climatic conditions of Jalpaiguri district offer a good potential for development of plantation and horticulture crops, as well as for floriculture. It is also a fact that apart from tea no other plantation has received sufficient patronage in general. Through the RSVY assistance has been made to cover at least 10% of the potential and marginal farmers for taking up commercially viable horticulture schemes. However, schemes conceived under this sector as per approved Plan Document (1st year) have been adapted to suit local condition due to several constraints and impediments. The revised schemes include (i) Training of farmers on Mushroom Cultivation and Community Mushroom Cultivation, (ii) Community Pineapple orcharding intercropped with Papya, (iii) Community Orcharding with Guava and Citrus intercropped with Elephant footyam, Turmeric, Ginger, etc, (iv) Community Kitchen Garden in closed Tea Gardens, (v) Construction of Community Dugwell with Pump sets for horticultural activities, (vi) Training for vermi composting and construction of vermi compost pits, (vii) Community betel vine plant orcharding, (viii) Cultivation of elephant footyam.

Physical Achievements
1st Year		2nd Year
Scheme	Achievement	Scheme	Achievement
Pineapple orcharding	2.6 ha	Popularisation & cultivation of ginger	284
Mushroom cultivation	440 beneficiaries	Popularisation & cultivation of Black Peeper	342
Fruit plantation	440 beneficiaries	Popularisation & cultivation of Turmeric	378
Citrus cultivation	308 (24 ha)	Popularisation & cultivation of Elephant Foot Yam	454
Cultivation of elephant foot yam and all related training	30 ha	Promotion of Citrus cultivation	320 units
Community horticulture cultivation	5 sites	HRD (Training of farmers)	514 nos.
Vermi compost pit	17 nos.	Cultivation of pinapple	11 ha.
-	-	Cultivation of banana	255 families
-	-	Cultivation of guava	94 families
-	-	Cultivation of papaya	280 families