Uttar Pradesh State PCS

• 23 May 2022

Setting up of Centre of Excellence
to promote horticulture and food processing in Uttar Pradesh

Why in News

• As per a press release issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on May 22, 2022, centres of excellence and mini centres of excellence/hi-tech nurseries will be set up in all the 75 districts in the next five years to promote horticulture and food processing industry in the state.

Key Point

• These hi-tech nurseries set up by the government in Bahraich, Ambedkar Nagar, Mau, Fatehpur, Aligarh, Rampur and Hapur have already become operational while centres of excellence are under construction in Chandauli, Kaushambi, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Kushinagar and Hapur.
• Indo-Israel Centre for Excellence has been set up at Basti and Kannauj respectively for fruits and vegetables so that farmers can get quality plants.
• Mini Centre of Excellence/High-end at Sonbhadra, Moradabad, Agra, Sant Kabir Nagar, Mahoba, Jhansi, Barabanki, Lucknow, Chandauli, Gonda, Balrampur, Badaun, Firozabad, Shamli and Mirzapur- Tech nurseries are under construction.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has set an ambitious target of increasing the area under cultivation of horticulture crops from 11.6 percent to 16 percent and to increase the overall yield along with processing of fruits, vegetables and spices as well as food processing units from 6 percent to 20 percent.
• It may be mentioned that in the last five years, poly house/shed net has been expanded in 177 hectares to increase the yield of flowers and vegetables, benefiting 5,549 farmers.