Policy paper · October 2026
From Success to Scale
Empowering India's Progressive Farmers to Compete Globally
A roadmap for Protected Cultivation 2.0. Built on NHB's own published data, it shows how the National Horticulture Board's protected-cultivation scheme became one of India's most successful farm-investment programmes, and sets out 14 practical steps to take it from success to scale.
Key points
- NHB protected-cultivation approvals grew 4.4 times, from 293 in FY 2023-24 to 1,293 in FY 2025-26.
- 86% of approved projects are 2.5 acres or smaller, spread across 22 States.
- About 43,500 year-round rural jobs from NHB-approved projects (IGMA estimate).
- 14 recommendations in six groups, from a one-time ₹1,025 crore provision to GST at 5% and a permanent seat for the sector.