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DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND PLANTATION CROPS

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 HISTORY OF DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND PLANTATION CROPS

Horticulture Map Birth of Horticulture Department

Organic Farming Initially all Horticulture schemes were implemented by a separate Horticulture wing in the
Agriculture Department. This wing was headed by a Joint Director of Horticulture (Commercial
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crops) at the Directorate of Agriculture in Madras.
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Recognizing the vast scope for development of Horticulture in the state, a New Department of Horticulture and
Plantation Crops was created on September 26, 1979 with headquarters at Dharmapuri and was headed by a senior
MEDIA GALLERY officer of the department. The Directorate was shifted to Chennai, LLA Building on Anna Salai in 1992. The Government of
Tamil Nadu converted the post of Director of Horticulture and Plantation Crops into a cadre post for the I.A.S and since
1992, I.A.S officers have been posted to head the department.

The Department finds a home

In 1979 when the Department was formed, the area under Horticulture crops was 6.60 Lakh Ha and production was 24.33
lakh MT. Today, the area under Horticulture crops has increased to 13.76 Lakh Ha and production touch 186.68 lakh MT
(2017-18-Final advance estimate). The Department integrated all the area-specific and crop-specific various scheme and
thrust areas were identified and technical staff were positioned in all the Districts at Block level as a “Unit” comprising of
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Assistant Director of Horticulture (ADH), one Horticulture Officer (HO) and Four field functionaries, viz. Assistant
Horticulture Officer (AHO).

Horticulture strengthened its root

The Directorate of Horticulture was shifted to the newly constructed Agriculture Complex Building at Chepauk in 1997. As
time passed by Horticulture the area under Horticulture crops increased and need was felt to implement the schemes in a
mission mode. The state Government set up a mission for the development of Horticulture in the state in 2003. The
mandate of the mission was to give impetus to production, processing, value addition and marketing of vegetables,
fruits, flowers and medicinal plants. The mission sought to improve production through balanced nutrition management.
It laid stress on evolving suitable mechanisms for regulating the production of quality planting material and giving
impetus to need based research. The need for establishing adequate infrastructure for post harvest management
especially preservation and marketing was outlined. Tamil Nadu, was thus a pioneer among the states in India to start a
separate mission for promotion of Horticulture.

Emergence of New Agency

Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency was formed on the 18th of June 2004 and was registered as a Society
under Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. It was conceived as a Special Purpose Vehicle for the purpose of
implementing centrally sponsored schemes.

TANHODA has provided much needed operational and financial flexibility for implementing schemes. Fund flows have
become faster, the pace of implementation has picked up and schemes have seen steady progress. TANHODA now is the
nodal agency for Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) - National Horticulture Mission (NHM),
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)" Per Drop More Crop", Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization
Project (TN-IAMP), National Agro Forestry and Bamboo Mission, National Ayush Mission- Medicinal plants.

Besides the Schemes, there are 63 State Horticulture Farms and 19 Parks and gardens under the control of TANHODA.

The Financial approval for the Farms are approved by the Governing council, headed by the Agriculture Production
Commissioner/ Director/ Commissioner of Horticulture as Managing Director. The other members are the heads of
Departments - The Director of Agriculture, Additional Secretary to Government Finance Department, The Commissioner
of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business, The Chief Engineer, Agricultural Engineering Department, The Director, Rural
Development and Panchayat Raj Department, and The Dean (Horticulture) Tamil Nadu Agriculture University.

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