Mehsana, July 30 (IANS) A village in Gujarat's Mehsana district has emerged as one of the state's largest centres for plug nursery production, with more than 200 high-tech nursery units in Madhi collectively producing over 70 crore vegetable and horticultural seedlings every year and generating an annual business exceeding Rs 100 crore.
According to the state government, the nurseries in Madhi village of Vijapur taluka supply seedlings to farmers across 15 districts in Gujarat, besides Sirohi and Jalore districts in Rajasthan and Nandurbar district in Maharashtra.
The seedlings support vegetable cultivation across nearly six lakh acres. Spread over nearly 300 bighas, the village's nursery sector is estimated to generate annual profits of around Rs 50 crore for farmers.
More than 150 families are engaged in the business, while over 800 women from nearby areas are employed directly in nursery operations.
Chilli and tomato account for the bulk of production, although the nurseries also raise seedlings of papaya, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal, bitter gourd, cucumber, watermelon, muskmelon and marigold. In addition, hybrid vegetable seedlings of crops including bottle gourd and sweet potato are produced.
The state government attributed the growth of the village's nursery industry to the Gujarat Horticulture Department's Hi-Tech Plug Nursery Scheme, under which financial assistance of 65 per cent is provided for establishing protected nursery structures ranging from 500 to 4,000 square metres.
The assistance covers facilities such as net houses, greenhouses and fan-and-pad greenhouses.
According to the government, more than Rs 900 lakh has been disbursed to farmers under the scheme so far. Under the system, seedlings are raised in plug trays using coco peat, a soil-less growing medium designed to encourage healthy root development.
The method achieves germination rates of over 80 per cent and produces transplant-ready seedlings in around 25 days while reducing the risk of soil-borne diseases.
The seedlings remain firmly rooted in the trays, allowing them to be transported over long distances with minimal damage. Sprinkler irrigation systems are used to ensure uniform watering and consistent plant growth.
"The development of Madhi as a major plug nursery cluster has also been supported by the Centre of Excellence at Vadrad under the Gujarat Horticulture Department. The centre conducts training programmes, exposure visits and field-level technical guidance to promote scientific nursery management," official said.
According to the government, the Centre of Excellence has demonstrated technologies including protected cultivation, plug tray seedling production, precision irrigation, fertigation, climate-controlled nursery management, integrated pest and disease management and the use of high-quality growing media.
These interventions have helped nursery operators improve seedling quality, achieve germination rates exceeding 80 per cent, reduce seedling mortality and produce uniform, disease-free planting material.
Gujarat has expanded its horticulture sector through measures introduced over the years, including the promotion of micro-irrigation, protected cultivation, improved nurseries, expansion of the Narmada canal network and post-harvest infrastructure.
"These initiatives have encouraged farmers to diversify into higher-value horticultural crops, with the Hi-Tech Plug Nursery Scheme contributing to the growth of specialised nursery enterprises such as those in Madhi," officials added.
--IANS
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