Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches 'Clean Plant Programme' in Pune, Maharashtra.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW), announced the launch of the 'Clean Plant Programme' to establish 9 horticultural facilities across India during the concluding session of India’s 1st International Agri Hackathon held from June 01 to June 03, 2025, in Pune, Maharashtra.

      - The programme aims to enhance the availability of disease-free and high-quality planting material to support horticultural growth and improve farmers' productivity across the country.

      - India's focus on enhancing horticultural research and development has led to the identification of nine Central Plantation Crops (CPCs) that are cultivated and researched across various regions. These include: Grapes (National Research Centre, Pune, Maharashtra); temperate fruits such as Apple, Almond, and Walnut (Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture, Srinagar, J&K and Mukteshwar, Uttarakhand); Citrus fruits like Oranges (ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur, Maharashtra and ICAR-Central Institute of Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, Rajasthan); Mango, Guava, and Avocado (ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka); Mango, Guava, and Litchi (ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh); and Pomegranate (National Research Centre, Sholapur, Maharashtra). Eastern India will also see the development of facilities for tropical and sub-tropical fruits.

      - Among the total nine CPC-specific facilities, three will be set up in Maharashtra. These are located in Pune (for Grapes), Nagpur (for Oranges), and Solapur (for Pomegranates). The combined development cost for these three Maharashtra-based horticultural research centers is estimated at ₹300 crore.

Main Point :-   (i) The Clean Plant Initiative will receive expert technical support from international partners, including Israel and the Netherlands.

      (ii) The initiative will also complement the development of advanced nurseries, with funding of Rs 3 crore for large nurseries and Rs 1.5 crore for mid-sized nurseries.

(iii) During the event, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state government will utilize its Rs 120 crore Startup Fund of Funds (FoF), along with support from the Government of India (GoI), to provide incubation and financial assistance to turn participant ideas into scalable startups.