India: Bengal promoting horticulture, food processing

Targeting the "tremendous potential”, the West Bengal Government is actively promoting the horticulture sector through a central scheme that encourages food processing in the private, public and joint sectors to generate employment. "Since the agri-horticulture sector in the State holds tremendous potential, there is immense potential for employment generation and growth of self-employment,” the Food Processing Industries and Horticulture Minister, Mr Abu Hena, told PTI. The central scheme, the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), aims to promote the horticulture sector, covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, cashew and cocoa.