In order to promote food processing in the State, it has been decided to encourage planting of Totapuri variety of mangoes. Instructions have been issued by the Horticulture and Food Processing Department to the district collectors and the chief executive officers of the District Panchayats regarding very high dense plantations of Totapuri mangoes under the state- funded intensive plantation scheme.

Hoshangabad, Harda and Betul districts have been included in the first phase of the plan. In these districts, farmers who are planting Totapuri variety with very high density method will be provided a grant amount of Rs 43,200 per acre in the first year. For plantation, it will be mandatory to arrange irrigation through drip method.

Farmers will be free to buy saplings at prescribed rates. If a farmer is unable to arrange the plants, then the Horticulture Department will purchase the sapling through MP Agro and make the plant available. The value of the plant will be included in the grant amount after physical verification. In this scheme, farmers will be selected by making a cluster. Selected farmers will be entitled to avail the benefit of the scheme up to at least one acre and maximum up to 5 acres or in installments.

In the first phase of the plan, a target has been set to plant Totapuri variety in a total of one thousand acre area in Hoshangabad, Harda and Betul districts in the year 2019-20. For this, a total grant of Rs 4.32 crore will be given to the selected farmers in the first year. The amount of maintenance in the second and third year will be payable as per the provision of the scheme. According to the detailed information received, the target is to plant saplings with very high density in 250 acres each in Hoshangabad and Harda districts and 500 acres in Betul district. For this, a grant of Rs 108 lakh each will be given in Hoshangabad and Harda district and Rs 216 lakh in Betul district.

In the state-funded intensive plantation scheme, the concerned district collector will select the cluster for plantation of very high-density Totapuri variety of mangoes in the year 2019-20.

The list of villages covered under the cluster will be displayed online. Registration of farmers will be online. If some farmers cannot register online, then their applications will be obtained offline and they will be registered online on the basis of seniority.