Post-Harvest Management Scheme

The Department of Horticulture, Government of Uttarakhand, operates the Post-Harvest Management scheme. Its purpose is to encourage the creation of modern post-harvest infrastructure by extending support to farmers and entrepreneurs who establish pack houses, pre-cooling units, cold rooms, cold storage units, and ripening chambers.

Through these facilities, the programme works to bring down post-harvest losses substantially, raise the quality of horticultural produce, increase its market value, and make it easier to sell. The scheme also strengthens the agricultural value chain, helps farmers earn more, and supports food security by cutting waste.

- Collect the application form from a Horticulture Mobile team Centre, or download it from the department's website at https://shm.uk.gov.in/. - Fill in the application form or proposal, attaching land documents (Khasra and Khatauni, or a lease certificate where the land is leased), Aadhaar card, PAN card, bank account particulars, mobile number, and a training certificate. - Where any difficulty arises, staff at the concerned Horticulture Mobile team Centre will help with completing the application proposal. - Hand over the completed application form at the Horticulture Mobile team Centre office. - In parallel, the entrepreneur or farmer concerned must apply for a bank loan. - The Horticulture Mobile team Centre staff will send the proposal onward to the district level, which in turn forwards it to the Directorate for scrutiny. - Once the Directorate clears the proposal, the district issues an order granting the necessary approval or work order. - On approval, the district officer dispatches an approval letter to the farmer or entrepreneur and contacts them by telephone. In the meantime, secure loan approval with help from departmental officials. - Once the loan is sanctioned, pass this information on to the department. - Carry out post-harvest management activities and set up the facility under the technical guidance and supervision of departmental officials. - On completion, a joint team of departmental officials will inspect the site, and the applicable government subsidy will be credited to the farmer's loan account.

The Horticulture Mobile team Centres carry out the initial scrutiny of applications. Proposals that clear this stage move to the district level, which passes them on to the Directorate for detailed appraisal and final sanction. After the Directorate grants approval, the district office releases the approval along with the work order.

Disbursement is tied to a joint inspection. Once the project is complete, departmental officials verify on site that the facilities match the approved specifications, and only then is the subsidy credited to the applicant's loan account.