Production of Designer Plants for Promotion of High Density Plants and Rejuvenation of Orchards (HADP Project 21)

What is HADP Project 21 on designer plants?

Production of Designer Plants for Promotion of High Density Plants and Rejuvenation of Orchards is Project 21 of the all-round Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) of the Agriculture Production Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, delivered on the ground by the Department of Horticulture.

Jammu and Kashmir's high-density apple programme runs on imported planting material. A "designer plant". A feathered, well-rooted, true-to-type nursery plant on a clonal rootstock, ready to crop early, has historically had to be brought in from Italy, the Netherlands or from a handful of Indian nurseries. Project 21 aims to build that capacity inside the Union Territory, by paying private nurserymen to raise rootstock banks, mother orchards and nurseries to a specified standard under departmental supervision.

The Director Horticulture, Jammu or Kashmir, in the capacity of Chairman of the Divisional Level Purchase Committee (DLPC), invites the Expression of Interest. Applications are scrutinised by a Technical Committee drawn from the Department of Horticulture, SKUAST-Jammu or SKUAST-Kashmir, and CITH Kashmir for the Kashmir division.

Who is eligible for HADP Project 21?

You can apply if you are:

• An individual, a Self Help Group, an agri-entrepreneur or an FPO interested in establishing fruit plant nurseries, rootstock banks, mother orchards or protected cultivation.
• Holding a minimum of one acre. For individuals, the acre may be at one place or at a maximum of two places, with the Technical Committee deciding on the feasibility of two separate locations.
• Able to show that the land is in your own name, or that you hold valid leasehold rights for a period of not less than 10 years.
• Willing to sign an affidavit that you will establish the nursery and grow only the varieties or cultivars specified by the Technical Committee.

You cannot apply if:

• Your holding is less than one acre, or is scattered across more than two locations.
• Your lease runs for less than 10 years, or you cannot produce a registered lease document.
• You are unwilling to work under the supervision of the Technical Committee and the Nursery Registration Officer of the Department of Horticulture, who must oversee production, labelling and the availability statement for each nursery.
• You want freedom to switch varieties. Varietal modification or replacement of plant material or rootstock without the Technical Committee's consent is barred for ten years.
• You are a farmer looking for a subsidy to plant a high-density orchard for your own use. Project 21 funds the production of planting material, not the planting of an orchard; orchard-side high-density assistance sits under the separate High Density Plantation scheme of the Department of Horticulture.

How are applications scored?

The Technical Committee scores each Detailed Project Report out of 100:

Entrepreneurs are shortlisted on the points obtained, and those selected sign an agreement with the Department for production and multiplication of quality stock as advised by the Technical Committee.

How much money does HADP Project 21 give?

• Rootstock bank for clonal propagation: assistance at 80 per cent of the cost of rootstock, limited to a maximum of Rs 56 per rootstock. The departmental rate per rootstock is Rs 70.
• Nursery production: assistance at 50 per cent of the production and maintenance cost of saleable plants, limited to Rs 65 per plant, released only after the nursery comes into the production phase.

Rootstock may be obtained in two ways, from the Department of Horticulture, SKUAST-JK or CITH-Kashmir at subsidised rates prescribed in the scheme for development of High Density Fruit Plantation Nurseries notified under Government Order No. 201-JK(APD) of 2022 dated 09.09.2022, or by import from outside the country. Where rootstock is imported, assistance is released only after the entrepreneur furnishes the PEQ release certificate issued by the competent authority.

What technical standards must be met?

Rootstock specifications

• Minimum 8 mm diameter above crown level.
• Entire root system present.
• Free from diseases and pests.

Plantation spacing

Quality standards for saleable plants

• 4 feathers and above, each 15 to 20 cm in length.
• Height not less than 120 cm above the graft union.
• Entire root system, free from disease and pest contamination.

Scion wood may be sourced from the Department of Horticulture J&K, from CITH or SKUAST, by import from a genuine source, or from a mother block developed by the entrepreneur. Mother plants must show consistently high performance and yield over several years, be free from disease and virus, meet quality parameters, be maintained regularly, be of varieties already recommended by SKUAST for high density plantation, and be labelled variety-wise.

How to apply for HADP Project 21

1. Watch for the Expression of Interest issued by the Director Horticulture, Jammu or Kashmir, as Chairman of the Divisional Level Purchase Committee, inviting proposals from individuals, SHGs, agri-entrepreneurs and FPOs.
2. Assemble the land documents, ownership record, or a registered lease for at least 10 years, for a holding of at least one acre.
3. Get a soil analysis done at a departmental or accredited laboratory, since soil status is scored on the basis of that report.
4. Write the Detailed Project Report covering every criterion in the 100-point matrix: land area, irrigation, accessibility, fencing, location and topography, soil status, farm machinery and your nursery experience with NRO or NHB registration, plus the implementation timeline.
5. Submit the DPR with the affidavit undertaking to establish the nursery and grow only the specified varieties, along with supporting documents.
6. Sign the agreement with the Department after shortlisting, and raise the rootstock bank or nursery under the supervision of the Technical Committee and the Nursery Registration Officer.
7. Label the plants and file the availability statement for the nursery under the Nursery Registration Officer's supervision, then claim the assistance to 80 per cent on rootstock, and 50 per cent per saleable plant once the nursery is in production.

Import route and quarantine conditions

Where an entrepreneur imports the identified rootstock, the guidelines are specific. Rootstock must be imported from reputed nurseries and must carry virus free, phytosanitary and true-to-type certificates, a release order from the Customs Department and from the Directorate of Plant Protection and Quarantine. Copies of Post Entry Quarantine certificates PEQ-18 and PEQ-19 must be given to the Nursery Registration Officer along with copies of the import permit. Because most modern varieties are patented, the material must carry permission to grow, multiply and sell in order to meet IPR norms. The material stays under observation by the Designated Inspection Authority until released by the competent authority.

Common reasons an application fails

• Holding below one acre, or split across more than two locations.
• Lease shorter than 10 years or not registered.
• No soil analysis report, which costs points and can stall technical scrutiny.
• A DPR that omits criteria in the 100-point matrix, which simply scores zero on those heads.
• Claiming nursery assistance before the production phase. The Rs 65 per plant is payable only after the nursery comes into production.
• Importing rootstock without PEQ clearance. Assistance is released only after the PEQ release certificate is furnished.

Help and grievance redressal

• Department of Horticulture, Jammu and Kashmir: horticulture.jk.gov.in
• Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department, Jammu: 0191-2505201, email devagri-jk@jk.gov.in
• Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department, Kashmir: 0194-2310265
• HADP portal: hadp.jk.gov.in
• Nursery Registration Officer of your division, for registration, labelling and availability statement questions

There is no fee to respond to the Expression of Interest, and no agent can influence the Technical Committee's 100-point scoring.