Operationalization of Tissue Culture Lab and Farm at Chauntra and Commercial production of Economic plants through Public

Private Partnership between DRDA Mandi,CSIR-IHBT Palampur and GreenTech Agri-Sector Pvt. Ltd. Nerchowk, Mandi,

Himanchal Pradesh

Rajender ThakurManaging Director

GreenTech Agri-Sector Pvt.Ltd,NH-21,Lunapani,Mandi,(HP)-175008Website: www.greentechagri.net,Email:greentechmandi@gmail.com

Phone No.+911905-242201,Mobile No.+9198160-80580

S. No. Country Area Hec. 1000

Yield Metric tons/hectare

Production1000 Metric tons

1. New Zealand

12 43 527

2. Italy 60 33.9 2052

3. Chile 36 30.1 1083

4. France 78 29.8 2323

5. United States

162 24.9 4021

6. China 2047 9.9 20286

7. India 247 5.5 1367

Apple Rejuvenation Project

To replace old and senile plantations with new high-yielding varieties a project worth Rs 85-crore is implemented by Dept. of Hort. From 2011 for five years

To avoid mono-culturing of commercial varieties without pollinating varieties and increase sustainability Horticulture Department has made it mandatory to plant at least 33 per cent pollinators in every orchard

There is a target to cover 5,000 ha area under this project in five years for benefiting about 10,000 growers

Old orchards had 250-300 plants/ ha whereas under the rejuvenation project high-density plantations with a density of 700-800 plants/ ha would be raised

Out of the total 96,000 ha under apple in the state, 13 per cent required rejuvenation

12,700 ha of old orchards planted before 1965 and the maximum senile orchards, spread over 6,325 ha in district Shimla of which 2,500 ha have been covered under the project and in district Kullu out of 3,212 ha of aged plantations 1,250 ha will be rejuvenated

To opt this technology there should not be clean felling of old orchards upto the establishment of new plants

For rejuvenation of these orchards highly productive semi-dwarf spurs varieties grafted on new rootstocks , which required much less space, can be inter-planted in the existing orchards

Good plants can be retained and extend their productive life through grafting

A number of self-pollinating varieties which also have commercial value like top red, gale gala, fuji and Vance gracious etc. can be planted

Such a huge demand can be fulfilled in targeted period only through tissue cultured plants

Contd..

Demand for Tissue Culture raised plants is growing rapidly in the state as farmers are aware about the quality of planting material.

Although planting material is produced under different Govt. schemes such as RKVY & NVIUVC, in agricultural Department and HMNEH (HTM) & RKVY in horticulture Department

To achieve the huge demand of planting material for farmers, Govt. schemes like Apple Rejuvenation Project, ATMA, JICA Various rural development agencies such as DRDA, DDP, HPMHWP, etc, who purchase Tissue Culture raised plants

Forest department also purchase endangered medicinal plants, high quality bamboo and chandan plants for its scheme of Jan Jan Sanjivani / Sanja Van Sanjivani yojna.

Latest lab technology developed by various state level and national level institutions like IHBT, CSK HPKV Palampur, Dr.YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni Solan, IARI and ICAR Institute on micro propagation of economic plants, commercial crop production and post harvest management shall be adopted and implemented in the project

The plants produced through this technology will be provided to farmers at reasonable rates

On farm demonstrations in colaboration with DRDA at their farms in Dist. Mandi will be layed

Training programmes will be conducted for cultivation, postharvest management and marketing

Plan of action

S. No. Month Activity Remarks

1. Jan. 2012 Signing of lease agreement with DRDA DRDA & Green Tech

2. Jan. 2012 Appointment of manpower Joint committee of DRDA, IHBT & Green Tech

3. Jan. 2012 Submission of budget proposal Green Tech

4. Jan. 2012 Functioning of Lab by Green tech Green Tech

5. Jan. 2012 Opening of separate bank account Green Tech

6. Jan. 2012 Starting of Krishi Samridhi a farmer magazine Green Tech

7. Feb. 2012 Agreement for transfer of technology Green Tech & IHBT

8. Feb. 2012 Selection of mother stock for commercial production Green Tech & IHBT

9. Feb. 2012 Cutting of trees DRDA

10. Feb. 2012 Submission of proposal to DRDA Mandi for the creation of necessary infrastructure

Green Tech

11. Feb. 2012 Procumbent of seed, planting material for flower nursery Green Tech

12. Feb. 2012 Proposal of bank loan Green Tech

13. Feb. 2012 Establishment of office related infrastructure Green Tech

14. Feb. 2012 Installation of water purification and firefighting system DRDA

15. Feb. 2012 Setup of sale out let cum watch man hut DRDA

16. March 2012 Starting of sale center for Agri-Horti forestry inputs Green Tech

17. March 2012 Creation of water storage facility DRDA

18. March 2012 Installation of mist propagation chamber DRDA

19. March 2012 Installation of automatic irrigation system DRDA

20. March 2012 Installation of cold store DRDA

21. March 2012 Generator set DRDA

22. April 2012 Functioning of conference cum training hall. DRDA

23. April 2012 Inauguration of Tissue Culture lab and farm DRDA, Green Tech & IHBT

24. June 2012 Establishment of scientist cum working staff hostel DRDA

25. July 2012 Contract farming for hardening of plants Green Tech

26. Sep. 2012 Demonstration and training to SHGS on commercial crops Green Tech

27. Oct. 2012 Tie up with national & international agencies for of technology Green Tech

28 Nov.2012 Training of farmer and extension worker Green Tech & DRDA

Contd..

S. No. Name Designation Qualification Experience

1. Sh. Rajender Thakur

C.E.O. M.Sc. Agri. Prop. Cum MD, Green Tech Agri. Sector Pvt. Ltd. Ner-chowk Distt. Mandi (H.P)

2. Sh. D.S. Verma

Manager TCL & Farm

B.Sc. (Agri.) Horti.

Ex-Project Officer NCUI New Delhi (10 year)Farm manager in Green Tech

3. Priyanka Sood Scientist (Trainee)

Ph.D. Biotech. Senior Research Fellow in the CSIR – IHBT Palampur (3 years)

4. Kalpana Thakur

Lab Technician (Trainee)

M.Sc. Biotech. Practical experience in Plant Tissue Culture Technique

5. Vandna Thakur

Operator (Trainee)

B.Sc. (Non Med.) 20 days Tissue Culture training at IHBT Palampur through Green (2011)

6. Roshani Devi Lab cum office helper

10+2 -Do-

7. Diwan C. Bhardwaj

Office Incharge B.Sc. (N.M), & DCA

Working as a Office Incharge in Green Tech Agri. Sector Pvt. Ltd.

8. Ranjeet Singh Trained hort. gardener

10+2 & diploma in gardening

Self employed in gardening

9. Surjeet Singh Security Guard 10th DRDA (10 years)

10. Bhim Singh Nursery supervisor

10th DRDA (10 years) experience of nursery growing and flower cultivation.

11. Gajropa Office Attendant cum cleaner

10th DRDA (10 years)

Funds request

DRDA for creating basic infrastructure Mist propagation chamber -10 lac Working staff hostel -15 lac Cold store facility -10 lac Sale counter -03 lac Electricity generator unit -05 lac Water purification unit -02 lac Fire fighting equipments -02 lac Training cum conference hall-03 lac Total-50 lacs

GreenTech for operational expenses Soft loan from DRDA Mandi -25lac Loa with CC limit from PNB-100 lac NHB, DBT, HMNEH and state government

agencies for their on going projects-to be proposed

Total-125 lacs

Objectives

Past objectives of DRDA Project: Multiplication of high value planting material of

medicinal plants, aromatic plants, flowers and orchids. Training of local people in their cultivation and

harvesting. Organization of SHGs of local farmers for cultivation,

harvesting and marketing of produce. Cultivation of alternate high value crops. Creating basic infrastructure. Processing of selective plants for value addition. Marketing of primary as well as processed products

Cumulative objectives of GreenTech: Mass propagation of quality flowers, potato, medicinal and fruit plants of commercial importance

by adopting latest tissue culture techniques for enhancing production, productivity and availability. To create wealth for farming community by providing quality planting material and related inputs

along with latest cultivation techniques for commercial crop production, post harvest management and marketing to end users.

To link public schemes related with agriculture, horticulture, forestry, watershed and rural development by providing technical knowhow and consultancy services to farmer groups and government agencies at their doorsteps

Present & Future strategies

Future Plan Installation of mist propagation chamber. Installation of cold store facility Creation of water storage and automatic irrigation system. Creation of residential facility for working staff. Installation of electricity generator, water purification and fire fighting

systems Farms for demonstration and secondary hardening of tissue cultured plants. Tie up with MNCs for cultivation, post harvest management and marketing to

end users.

Present Status Lab & Farm area-4000sqm Tissue cultured plants production capacity-1.25 million plants/annum Greenhouses-1000sqm Nethouse-800sqm Mother plants maintained-4500 Boundary wall under construction Proposal for removal of Safeda plants under consideration. Sale outlet cum watchman hut under consideration.

Plan of action

This Project is under PPP mode between DRDA Mandi (will create necessary infrastructure), CSIR-IHBT and other national level institutes ( will provide technology) and Green Tech (will manage operational and management issues of tissue culture lab and farms

After signing lease agreement with DRDA Mandi, Greentech will adopt the best available technologies in the world for micro propagation of flowers, potato, medicinal and fruit plants in the world

Mist propagation chamber, water storage and automatic irrigation system, electricity generation and water purification unit and fire fighting unit will be installed by DRDA at Tissue culture lab and farm Chauntra

Residential facility for working staff and sale cum watchmen hut will be created by DRDA Mandi

In the first year Apple rootstock and Potato tubers will be produced through micropropagation,

In the second year carnation, lilium, chrysanthemum, pomegranate, kiwi will be started In third year onward new introduction of blueberries, blackberries, seabuckthorn, yam

and avocado will be done along with propagation of endangered medicinal plants to explore new market potential.

Chronology of Tissue Culture lab and Farm development :

DRDA Mandi implement and monitor all rural development programmes to provide guaranteed wage employment to the needy persons in rural areas, who are willing to do unskilled manual work

In 2002 Government of India has approved a Project entitled, “Rural Development through Diversification in Agriculture” under SGSY (Special Projects) Component with total budget of Rs. 1385.32 lacs

This project included subsidy of Rs.1204.00 lacs, and Rs. 181.32 lacs as loan component out of which, an expenditure of Rs. 873.30 lacs has been incurred up to March, 2011

Under ‘Cultivation of Medicinal plants, Aromatic plants, Flowers and Orchids components of this project, 10 Poly houses cum demonstration farm were established in different location of District Mandi along with one tissue culture laboratory at Chauntra with technical support of CSIR-IHBT

The tissue culture laboratory was inaugurated by the Hon’able PWD and Revenue Minister Thakur Gulab Singh on dated 8th Jan. 2003 The objective of this lab is to propagate disease free high quality planting material through tissue Culture technique and make them available to the farmers of adjoining areas and state for the popularization of high value commercial crops such as flowers & orchids, medicinal and aromatic plants, for better return in the competitive market and thus to raise their socio-economic status

About DRDA Mandi

The institute of Himalayan Bio-resources Technology is situated at Palampur, Dist. Kangra

Its mandate is to provide R&D services in this region leading to value added plants, products and processes for social, industrial and environmental benefits and has impeccable record of setting up such tissue culture labs for other state departments of Himachal/ Haryana and training of the personnel there offs

About IHBT Palampur

The Government is focusing on crop diversification by sifting from traditional to high value commercial cropping system such as flowers, vegetables, fruits, medicinal & aromatic plants along with adoption of new technologies like a tissue culture to increase the production, productivity and quality

The present Government of Himachal Pradesh has made tremendous efforts in making farming more lucrative for employment generation with public private sector partnership

On the basis of this objective DRDA Mandi started a project on agriculture diversification & started Tissue Culture Lab facility at Chauntra in colaboration with IHBT Palampur, a CSIR organization for technology transfer and agri-professional private concern M/S Green tech Agri. Sector Pvt. Ltd.

Agri-professional private limited company established in March 2009Situated at Lunapani on NH-21, Balh valley, Dist. Mandi, Himachal Pradesh Deal with greenhouses, irrigation, biotechnology and consultancy.It has three divisions- Greenhouse & Irrigation, Biotechnology & Agri- inputs, and Technology transfer ( Krishi Samridhi) & consultancy

About Green Tech Agri. Sector Pvt. Ltd

Greenhouse & Irrigation- Ner chowk, Dist. Mandi, Himachal Pradesh Biotechnology & Agri- inputs- Chauntra near Joginder Nagar, Dist. Mandi, Himachal Pradesh Technology transfer ( Krishi Samridhi) & consultancy- Ner chowk, Dist. Mandi, Himachal Pradesh

Backward linkages

DRDA Mandi Introduction of new crops of flowers,

aromatic & medicinal plants To provide training, inputs and planting

material To develop greenhouse facilities and

related infrastructure at the farmers level

GreenTech Mandi Introduce high quality planting material

of flowers,fruits and medicinal plants. To provide complete package of inputs

along with technical knowhow. To provide trainings to farmer groups on

cultivation,post harvest management and marketing of produce.

Forward Linkages

DRDA Mandi Creation of cold store Creation of transportation facilities like

refrigerated vans Collection cum processing centre To identify new markets for the sale of

produce To link with various central sponsored

schemes

GreenTech Mandi Collaboration with national and

international retail companies for cultivation, postharvest management and marketing

Introduction of exotic crop like blueberries, black berries, yams and avocado

To provide advance trainings to agri-professionals and farmers.