Mukhya Mantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna (MMKPY)

What is Mukhya Mantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna?

Mukhya Mantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna, abbreviated MMKPY, is a scheme of the Department of Horticulture, Government of Himachal Pradesh. According to the department's own registration document, the Mukhyamantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna "is aimed at encouraging farmers to take up Kiwi and increase in the farming of Kiwi fruits in the state."

The scheme is one of Himachal Pradesh's diversification schemes. Apple dominates the state's fruit economy and dominates its risk profile as well: a single hailstorm, an unseasonal warm winter or a glut in the Delhi market hits an entire belt at once. Kiwi is one of the few fruits that suits the state's mid-hill altitudes, faces very little domestic competition, and sells at a high price per kilogram in Indian cities that currently rely largely on imports. Encouraging kiwi therefore serves two purposes at once, it raises orchard incomes and it spreads the risk of an apple-only economy.

Press coverage of the scheme's launch describes the Himachal Pradesh government introducing the Mukhyamantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojana with a 50 per cent subsidy on planting material, trellis systems and orchard establishment, against an initial budget of around Rs 2 crore. Kiwi acreage in Himachal Pradesh has grown noticeably since, particularly in parts of Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Sirmaur and Bilaspur.

Because the department revises cost norms and rates of assistance each year in its annual work plan, treat the 50 per cent figure as the reported launch position and confirm the current component-wise rate with your district office before you commit money.

Why does kiwi need a scheme of its own?

Kiwi is more expensive to establish than most fruit crops in Himachal Pradesh, and the cost falls in the first year.

• Planting material is costly and specific. Kiwi is dioecious, meaning male and female vines are separate plants. A commercial orchard needs the right ratio of male pollinator vines to female fruiting vines, and both must be true to type. Poor quality or wrongly sexed planting material can waste four years.
• A trellis is not optional. Kiwi is a vigorous vine and must be trained on a permanent support system: pergola or T-bar; built of posts and wire. That structure is a large capital cost incurred before a single fruit is picked.
• The gestation period is long. Vines usually begin commercial bearing around the fourth or fifth year and take longer to reach full yield.

Those three facts together explain why a farmer will not switch to kiwi on his own, and why the assistance is concentrated on planting material, trellis and orchard establishment.

Who is eligible for Mukhya Mantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna?

You can apply if:

• You are a bonafide Himachali farmer or orchardist. State subsidy schemes of the Department of Horticulture are limited to bonafide residents.
• You own land in Himachal Pradesh recorded in your own name, supported by a jamabandi and tatima. Both documents are on the department's MMKPY checklist.
• Your site is technically suitable for kiwi. The field officer assesses altitude, aspect, soil depth, drainage, frost pocket risk and irrigation before recommending the case.
• You can put up a detailed project report for the orchard, which the checklist requires.
• You hold a bank account in your own name for the assistance transfer.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a bonafide Himachali.
• The land is not in your name and you have no registered lease or recorded written consent for the plot.
• Your site is unsuitable for kiwi — a severe frost pocket, shallow or badly drained soil, or an altitude outside the range the department accepts.
• You are a trader, packer or exporter buying kiwi rather than growing it. Such applicants are not eligible for an individual benefit under this scheme.
• You have already planted the orchard and now want reimbursement without a prior sanction.
• You have already drawn assistance for the same area under another orchard establishment programme of the department.

How to apply for MMKPY

The department's published procedure for MMKPY is entirely online through the eUdyan portal.

1. Go to the eUdyan portal. Open eudyan.hp.gov.in, the Integrated Horticulture Sector Management System of the Department of Horticulture, and submit an online request for the scheme.
2. Register on the portal by filling in the requisite details. You will receive a login ID and password.
3. Log in with that ID and password.
4. Fill the requisite details in the form; personal details, applicant address, land or orchard details, scheme and project details, and bank details. For a kiwi orchard, set out the area, the number of female and male vines, the varieties, the trellis design and the item-wise cost.
5. Upload the six checklist documents, Aadhaar card, jamabandi, bank passbook, tatima, the detailed project report and the self-certificate.
6. Make the final submission. After final submission, the department scrutinises the application for approval.
7. Get the site inspected. The Horticulture Development Officer or Horticulture Extension Officer of the development block inspects the site.
8. Wait for the sanction or work order from the Deputy Director of Horticulture before purchasing plants or trellis material.
9. Establish the orchard and claim. Complete the planting and trellis work, keep the bills and the nursery invoices, and file the claim with the field officer.

The department has also published a step-by-step video on the eUdyan portal covering the application procedure and how to track application status.

There is no provision of fee for Mukhyamantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna, so do not pay anyone to get your name added.

What documents does the department ask for?

The MMKPY checklist lists six items:

• Aadhaar card
• Jamabandi
• Bank passbook
• Tatima
• DPR (detailed project report)
• Self-certificate

The two that trip most applicants up are the tatima and the DPR. A tatima has to be obtained from the revenue patwari and takes time. The DPR is not a formality either, for kiwi it should state the male-to-female vine ratio, the trellis specification and the irrigation arrangement, because those are exactly what the inspecting officer checks against the site.

How do I check my application status?

Log in to eudyan.hp.gov.in with your registered credentials and use the application tracking option on the portal. The department's video guide covers both the application procedure and status tracking.

For the physical file, contact the Horticulture Development Officer of your development block first, and then the office of the Deputy Director of Horticulture at your district headquarters, which is where sanctions are issued.

Why do MMKPY applications get rejected?

• Land not in the applicant's name, with no lease or consent on record.
• Missing tatima, which is on the checklist and is not waived.
• A thin project report that does not specify vine numbers, pollinator ratio or trellis design.
• Site rejected on inspection for frost risk, drainage or altitude.
• Planting done before sanction, which leaves the department unable to verify the pre-planting condition.
• Nursery source not accepted. Kiwi planting material must be from a recognised source; unverified vines are a common ground for the case being held.
• Budget for the year exhausted, in which case the case moves to the next financial year.

What are the key dates?

Mukhya Mantri Kiwi Protsahan Yojna has no announced last date, and the department's own timeline field for the scheme is marked not applicable. Two calendars matter in practice. The financial year ends on 31 March and sanctions are made against that year's allocation, so apply early. Kiwi is planted in the dormant season, so the sanction, the nursery booking and the trellis work all have to be finished before the winter planting window in your belt, or the orchard slips by a full year.

Where do I complain if something goes wrong?

Approach the Horticulture Development Officer of your development block first, then the Subject Matter Specialist (Horticulture) and the Deputy Director of Horticulture at the district headquarters.

The Directorate of Horticulture, Himachal Pradesh is at Navbahar, Chotta Shimla, Shimla 171002, reachable on 0177-2842390 or at horticul-hp@nic.in. For portal faults, use the eUdyan helpdesk contact shown on the portal.

Keep the application number, the sanction or work order, the nursery invoice for the vines and the trellis bills together. Since assistance is released after verification, those papers are what settle a delayed claim.

Note on figures. The Department of Horticulture publishes MMKPY guidelines as a scanned PDF on eudyan.hp.gov.in, and the department's own scheme page carries the procedure, checklist and fee position quoted above. The 50 per cent rate and the Rs 2 crore outlay come from reporting on the scheme's launch rather than from a current departmental notification, so verify the year's rates and ceilings at your district office before purchasing.