Horticulture is an important part of Virudhunagar district’s agricultural economy. According to the Virudhunagar District Administration, around 13,590 hectares of land are under various horticultural crops. The district grows a diverse combination of fruits, vegetables, spices and flowers.
Major horticultural crops
The district’s horticulture sector includes:
Fruit crops
- Mango
- Guava
- Banana
- Amla (Indian gooseberry)
Vegetable crops
- Tomato
- Brinjal
- Bhendi (okra)
- Onion
Spices and condiments
- Coriander
- Chillies
Flower crops
- Jasmine
- Arali
- Tuberose
This crop diversity allows farmers to cultivate crops suited to different soil, water and market conditions.
Main objective of the Horticulture Department
The department’s stated objective is to double production and triple farmers’ income. To achieve this, it promotes improved cultivation technologies, better planting material, efficient irrigation, mechanisation and post-harvest practices.
The approach focuses not merely on increasing cultivated area, but also on improving productivity, quality and profitability.
1. Micro-irrigation
One of the major interventions is micro-irrigation under the “Per Drop More Crop” component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
Micro-irrigation delivers water more efficiently to the crop’s root zone. The district administration states that it can improve water-use efficiency by approximately 40–60%.
It also allows fertilisers to be supplied through irrigation water, helping improve fertiliser-use efficiency. Other benefits include:
- Reduced water wastage
- Lower weed growth
- Reduced labour requirements
- More efficient use of available water
- Potential expansion of cultivation with limited water resources
- Improved crop productivity
Tamil Nadu provides particularly strong subsidy support for micro-irrigation: the district administration states that small and marginal farmers can receive 100% subsidy, while other farmers are eligible for 75% subsidy, subject to the applicable scheme conditions.
2. High-tech horticulture
The department encourages farmers to adopt Hi-Tech Horticulture techniques.
These include:
- High-density planting
- Protected cultivation
- Polyhouse cultivation
- Shade-net cultivation
- Improved crop-management practices
- High-value horticultural crops
Protected cultivation can help farmers create a more controlled growing environment and is particularly useful for suitable high-value crops.
3. Quality planting materials and hybrid seeds
Improving the quality of planting material is another major component.
The department promotes:
- Hybrid vegetable seeds
- Quality seedlings
- Improved fruit varieties
- High-yielding planting materials
- Protray-raised vegetable seedlings
The district’s State Horticulture Farms produce and distribute planting materials to farmers, including hybrid vegetable seedlings. These seedlings are made available at subsidised rates to encourage vegetable cultivation and increase production.
4. State Horticulture Farms
Virudhunagar has two State Horticulture Farms.
State Horticulture Farm, Poovani is located between Krishnan Kovil and Srivilliputhur.
State Horticulture Farm, Srivilliputhur is located at Venkatasapuram village near the foothills of the Western Ghats.
These farms have an important role in producing quality planting materials.
The district administration specifically mentions production of plants of varieties such as:
- Mango
- Guava
- Sapota
- Amla
- Acid lime
- Jasmine
- Medicinal plants
The farms also produce high-yielding vegetable varieties and hybrids through protray technology.
Interestingly, the department identifies Rajapalayam Sapatai and Panchavarnam as mango varieties associated with the district, while Lucknow-49, also referred to locally as Krishnan Kovil guava, is noted for its taste and quality.
5. Farm mechanisation
The department is also promoting farm mechanisation to reduce dependence on manual labour and improve efficiency.
Mechanisation can help farmers with activities such as:
- Land preparation
- Planting
- Weeding
- Crop maintenance
- Harvesting
- Post-harvest handling
For horticultural crops, timely farm operations can be particularly important because delays can affect crop quality and market value.
6. Integrated horticulture development
Under the Integrated Horticulture Development Programme, the district promotes expansion of economically valuable:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Spices and condiments
- Flowers
- Plantation crops
The programme combines area expansion with improved cultivation practices rather than simply increasing the number of hectares under cultivation.
7. National Agriculture Development Programme
The National Agriculture Development Programme is another major programme implemented in the district.
The district administration lists activities including:
- Fruit development
- Development of traditional vegetables
- Expansion of fruit and vegetable cultivation
- Spice and flower cultivation
- Onion development
- Protected cultivation
- Polyhouse and shade-net cultivation
- Homestead vegetable gardens
- Herbal gardens
- Crop-specific harvesting equipment
- Post-harvest equipment
The programme follows a 60:40 Centre-State sharing pattern according to the district’s horticulture information.
8. Rainfed Area Development
Because water availability is an important consideration for agriculture, the department also promotes Rainfed Area Development (RAD).
RAD encourages an Integrated Farming System, combining horticulture with activities such as:
- Livestock
- Fisheries
- Agroforestry
- Beekeeping
- Multi-tier cropping
- Intercropping
- Mixed cropping
- Rotational cropping
The objective is to help farmers diversify their income sources and make farming systems more sustainable.
9. Pollination and beekeeping
The department also promotes beekeeping as a pollination-support activity.
Pollination is particularly important for many fruit, vegetable and flower crops. Supporting bee populations can therefore contribute to improved crop production while simultaneously creating an additional income opportunity for farmers.
10. Integrated nutrient and pest management
Modern horticulture programmes in the district also focus on:
- Integrated Nutrient Management
- Pest management
- Disease management
- Efficient fertiliser application
- Better crop-health monitoring
These practices are intended to improve productivity while ensuring that nutrients and crop-protection measures are used more efficiently.
11. Post-harvest management
Increasing production alone does not guarantee higher farmer income. Fruits, vegetables and flowers can deteriorate rapidly after harvest.
Therefore, the department promotes improved post-harvest management, including suitable harvesting and handling practices and assistance for crop-specific harvesting and post-harvest equipment.
Better post-harvest management can help farmers:
- Reduce wastage
- Preserve quality
- Extend shelf life
- Improve marketability
- Obtain better prices
- Handle produce more efficiently
12. Crop insurance
Horticultural farmers are also exposed to risks such as drought and other unforeseen events. The district implements Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to provide financial support against eligible crop losses.
The district administration states that Virudhunagar is categorised under Cluster III for implementation of the scheme.
Overall impact
The horticulture strategy in Virudhunagar is built around a combination of water conservation, improved planting material, modern cultivation, mechanisation, crop diversification and better post-harvest management.
The broader goal is to transform horticulture into a more profitable and viable agricultural sector by helping farmers produce more, better-quality produce with more efficient use of water and other farm resources.