The Yogi Adityanath government 2.0 has launched a special initiative to promote garlic cultivation in Uttar Pradesh under the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission.
Funded by the Government of India, the mission is being implemented across 45 of the total 75 districts in UP.
To meet the growing demand for garlic, the Yogi government has set a target to expand garlic cultivation by 10,000 hectares under the Spice Area Expansion Program.
The Centre and the state respectively contribute 60 and 40 percent of funds to the mission, which is aimed at increasing garlic production and boosting the farm income.
Some of the prominent districts under the mission include Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Moradabad, Agra, Mathura, Kanpur, Lucknow, Unnao, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Barabanki, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Sant Kabir Nagar, Siddharth Nagar, Ballia, Bhadohi, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Ayodhya etc.
The UP horticulture department has set a permissible unit cost of Rs 30,000 per hectare for garlic cultivation.
The farmers will receive a subsidy of 40 percent, up to a maximum of Rs 12,000 per hectare. The subsidy is available for land ranging from 0.2 to 4 hectares per farmer.
Garlic seeds, priced between Rs 370 to Rs 390 per kilogram, will be provided by the National Horticulture Research and Development Institute, New Delhi.
The farmers, who can avail the benefits on a first-come, first-serve basis, can contact the District Horticulture Office or access http://dbt.uphorticulture.in for registration.