Why in News?
Fruit Horizon 2026 is recently in the news because the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare successfully concluded a high-level two-day national horticulture conclave held on May 6 and 7, 2026, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Core Objectives and Vision
- Global Footprint Expansion: Transforming India from a top domestic cultivator into the number one global exporter of premium fruits.
- Income Maximisation: Scaling up the value of horticulture to generate rural employment, boost foreign exchange reserves, and double farmer income.
- Farm-to-Fork Integration: Expanding the agricultural domain beyond fields into an integrated economic ecosystem of advanced logistics, shelf-life extension, and processing.
- Zero-Rejection Standard: Enforcing rigid international quality benchmarks to completely eliminate export rejections by Western and Asian markets.
Infrastructure & Key Initiatives Announced
- Clean Plant Centre Setup: Establishing a modern facility at the ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) in Rehmankhera, Lucknow.
- Genetically Pure Breeding: This centre will mass-develop and distribute disease-free, high-yield saplings for mango, guava, litchi, and avocado.
- Export-Oriented Clusters: The National Horticulture Board (NHB) is building dedicated geographical clusters across Uttar Pradesh for targeted fruit harvesting.
- Aviation Logistics Hub: Integrating cold storage, irradiation treatment, and post-harvest infrastructure directly with the upcoming Noida International Airport (Jewar Airport) for rapid air freight.
Stakeholder Collaboration
- Joint Task Force Formation: The government announced a unified task force comprising the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), scientists, and the APEDA to instantly resolve exporter bottlenecks.
- Grassroot Integration: Engaging Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), and rural Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to give small-scale orchard owners direct corporate market access.
- Public-Private Deliberations: The event gathered progressive nursery operators, agriculture scientists, food processing conglomerates, and trade ministries on a single interactive platform.
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