NEW DELHI, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- India's federal government signed a loan agreement of 98 million U.S. dollars on Friday with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote plant health management in the country's horticulture, officials said.
The loan is aimed at improving horticulture crop farmers' access to certified disease-free planting materials, which will boost their crops' yield, quality, and resilience to climate impacts, according to the federal Ministry of Finance.
A senior official from the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance, Juhi Mukherjee, said the ADB funding will promote plant health which is vital for improving farmers' productivity.
The project will be implemented by the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the National Horticulture Board and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. ■
