Operation Greens (TOP) Scheme
‘Operation Greens’ is one of the ambitious and thoughtful schemes initiated by the Government of India for the betterment of the farmer community. This project was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) in November 2018. The scheme was announced by the then Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley, during his speech while presenting the Union Budget of India for the year 2018-19. The scheme was inaugurated on the lines of ‘Operation Flood’.
Operation Greens was initiated with the idea of improving the availability of Tomato, Onion & Potato (TOP) crops while also improving their production and supply. TOP crops are counted among the regular food commodities throughout the country but due to a sudden decline in production in 2017-18, this scheme came into existence. Thus, the idea of introducing this scheme is to maintain stability in the production of these crops.
Operation Greens: Budget Allocation
- Rs 500 crore has been allocated to the ‘Operation Greens’ scheme with an intention to promote Farmers Producer’s Organizations (FPO), agri-logistics, processing facilities & professional management of the agricultural produce.
- Out of the total allocated fund, Rs 50 crore was reserved for the purpose of price stabilisation for ‘NAFED’ (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation Of India).
- Under the Operation Greens scheme, no funds have been allocated state-wise/crop-wise, as it is a “demand-driven scheme”, and various projects are approved only depending on the number of applications that are received for setting up such projects in various areas.
- Thus far, ‘6 projects worth project cost of ₹363.30 Crore’, with grant-in-aid of ₹136.82 Cr, targeting 31 Farmers Producers’ Organizations in 6 ‘production clusters’ have been sanctioned.
Click here to know more about the total funds allocated under the Operation Greens Scheme since its inception.
Operation Greens: Objectives
- To increase/expand the production, supply and availability of the TOP crops.
- To stabilize the prices and make these TOP crops available in a smooth and easy manner without any ‘price volatility’.
- To aim for ‘price fixation’ and ensure that the farmers get suitable prices for their produce and do not have to bear any losses.
- To expand the reach of these TOP crops to each and every household in India.
- To develop a connection between the farmers & the consumers while aiming at an organized way of marketing these crops.
- To provide better resources to the farmers such as modern warehouses & cold storage facilities to decrease post-harvest losses.
- To also double the income of farmers by the culmination of the year 2022.
| *Note:‘Price volatility’ refers to the fluctuations in the prices of any particular commodity. |
Operation Greens: TOP to TOTAL Scheme
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) recently decided to extend the ‘Operation Greens Scheme’ from TOP (Tomato, Onion & Potato) to TOTAL (all fruits & vegetables) as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
- The extended scheme was approved on June 10, 2020 and the guidelines were released on June 11, 2020.
- The plan of extension was initially done on a ‘pilot basis’ for a period of six months from the date of notification (June 11, 2020), to test the viability of this new idea.
- According to the budget announcement of 2021-22, a total of 22 perishable commodities have been included in the extended scheme so far including shrimp.
| Objective | Eligible Crops | Eligible Entities |
To stop the fruits & vegetable growers from selling their items due to post-harvest and post-lockdown losses. | Fruits: Mango, Banana, Guava, Kiwi, Litchi, Papaya, Citrus, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Jackfruit; | -Food Processors, -FPO/FPC, -Co-operative Societies -Individual farmers, -Licensed Commission Agent -Exporters -State Marketing/Co-operative Federation -Retailers (engaged in processing/ marketing of fruits and vegetables). |
| Vegetables: French beans, Bitter Gourd, Brinjal, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chillies (Green), Okra, Onion, Potato, and Tomato. | ||
| *Note: Perishable commodities are the ones that are likely to be decayed or spoiled in a very short span of time and require refrigeration. |
Operation Greens: Financial Assistance
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries will provide a subsidy to the growers of fruits & vegetables at the rate of 50% of the cost incurred on the following two categories:
1. Transportation of the eligible crops.
2. Employing suitable storage facilities for the above-mentioned eligible crops.
The government will also be providing assistance to develop around 22,000 agricultural markets.
Read about the National Agriculture Market in detail
| Operation Green (Ireland) Operation Greens should not be confused with another similarly titled ‘Operation Green’ which was a full-scale operation plan for a German invasion of Ireland that was planned by an unknown officer known by the title ‘Hadel’. This operation was also known as ‘Case Green’ or ‘Plan Green’. |
Market Intelligence and Early Warning System
The ‘Market Intelligence and Early Warning System’ or MIEWS refers to the portal that has been created to provide an accessible platform, where the prices of Tomato, Onion & Potato (TOP) can be monitored. The platform is meant to regularly keep a check & to provide valuable information regarding the TOP crops and also to generate alerts in case of a need.
Thus, we can say that Operation Greens is an ambitious project initiated by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries that aims for the good of the farmers as well as the consumers and to shrink the gap between both so that none of them have to face any losses, under any circumstances.
Also Read:
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana
Government Agricultural Schemes in India (Part 1)
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