On March 4, 2021, Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Ministry of Science & Technology virtually launched the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) Floriculture Mission from New Delhi. It has been approved by the Government of India for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories (UTs) of India.
- Under this, CSIR will combine latest technologies in the field of floriculture.
Who will implement the mission?
The mission will be implemented in collaboration of the following organizations:
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Directorate of Floriculture
- Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
- Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
- Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED)
- Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
- Universities
Features of CSIR Floriculture Mission:
i.It will create opportunities for entrepreneurship development in floriculture.
ii.The mission will focus on commercial floral crops, seasonal/annual crops, wild ornaments and cultivation of flower crops for honey bee rearing.
iii.The popular crops under this include Gladiolus, Canna, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera, Lilium, Marigold, Rose, Tuberose etc.
About Floriculture:
i.Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry.
ii.The Indian floriculture market was worth Rs 15700 cr in 2018. The market is projected to reach Rs 47200 cr by 2024 during 2019-24.
iii.Floriculture which can give 5 times more return than the traditional crops.
CSIR’s Societal Portal along with the Android App launched
Dr. Harsh Vardhan also launched CSIR’s Societal Portal along with the Android App which has been developed by CSIR Team with the help of MyGov Team.
- The Portal will facilitate the public to submit the societal problems that can be resolved using S&T (Science & technology) interventions.
- This is the first step in terms of seeking inputs on challenges and problems being faced by different stake holders in society.
Key Participants:
Shekhar C. Mande, Diector General CSIR; Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE)
Recent Related News:
i.On January 19, 2021, the state government of Gujarat is all set for the formation of ‘Mukhyamantri Bagayat Vikas Mission’ or ‘Horticulture Development Mission’ to accelerate agriculture, horticulture and promote farming of herbal plants in the state.
ii.ADB (Asian Development Bank) & GoI signed USD 10 Million Project Readiness Financing (PRF) to help finance piloting activities, project for expanding horticulture production & farm household income in Himachal Pradesh.
About Ministry of Science and Technology:
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan Constituency– Chandni Chowk, New Delhi
Departments under the ministry– Department of Science & Technology(DST), Department of Biotechnology(DBT), Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR)
