SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has received more than Rs 226 crore from the Union Government under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) during the last three years, even as the Union Territory’s horticulture sector now spans nearly 4.30 lakh hectares with an estimated annual production of over 40.35 lakh metric tonnes, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The figures were provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 246, answered on July 21 by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur.
The latest Second Advance Estimates for 2025-26 show that Jammu and Kashmir has 429.89 thousand hectares under horticulture crops, producing 4,035.46 thousand metric tonnes, with an average productivity of 9.39 metric tonnes per hectare.
The data places Jammu and Kashmir among India’s major horticulture-producing regions, although its productivity remains below the national average of 12.53 metric tonnes per hectare. Across the country, horticulture now covers 301.51 lakh hectares, producing 377.78 million tonnes.
The Ministry’s funding data shows Jammu and Kashmir has consistently remained among the larger beneficiaries of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.
During 2023-24, the Centre allocated Rs 67 crore to Jammu and Kashmir. Of this, Rs 50.25 crore was released and the Union Territory reported expenditure of Rs 50.07 crore.
In 2024-25, the allocation increased sharply to Rs 90.99 crore. The entire amount was released by the Centre, although expenditure reported during the year stood at Rs 37 crore, indicating that a substantial portion remained available for utilisation.
For 2025-26, the Centre allocated Rs 85 crore, released the full amount, and Jammu and Kashmir has already reported expenditure of Rs 65.64 crore, according to the data placed before Parliament.
Taken together, the Union Government has allocated Rs 242.99 crore to Jammu and Kashmir under MIDH over the last three years, released Rs 226.24 crore, and the Union Territory has reported utilisation of Rs 152.71 crore. The Ministry noted that expenditure figures include utilisation of unspent balances from previous years and are provisional.
Replying to the question, the Ministry said the Government has assessed horticulture potential across the country through the NITI Aayog Working Group on Crop Husbandry, Agriculture Inputs, Demand and Supply (2024).
According to the report, India has significant scope to increase fruit and vegetable production by bridging existing yield gaps, suggesting that productivity improvements rather than expansion of cultivated area could drive future growth.
For Jammu and Kashmir, where horticulture remains the backbone of the rural economy and supports hundreds of thousands of farming families, improving productivity assumes particular importance. The Union Territory’s average yield of 9.39 tonnes per hectare is considerably lower than several leading horticultural states, indicating scope for higher output through better planting material, irrigation, post-harvest infrastructure and scientific cultivation practices.
The Ministry also outlined measures being implemented to ensure remunerative prices for horticulture growers.
These include assistance for creation of post-harvest infrastructure such as cold storages, wholesale markets, rural primary markets and Kisan Mandis; marketing through the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform; dissemination of price information through the AGMARKNET portal; and support under the Market Intervention Scheme for horticultural commodities not covered by the Minimum Support Price.
The Market Intervention Scheme provides three forms of support: procurement at Market Intervention Prices when requested by states and Union Territories, price deficiency payments where physical procurement is not undertaken, and transport and storage subsidies for tomato, onion and potato when market prices fall below intervention levels.
While the Lok Sabha reply does not provide district-wise allocations for Jammu and Kashmir, it states that distribution of MIDH funds within states and Union Territories is undertaken by the respective governments based on local requirements and horticultural potential.
