Update · 7 September 2026

NHB has paused new applications since 4 September 2026

The National Horticulture Board has suspended the receipt of fresh Grant of Clearance applications under Scheme No. 1, Commercial Horticulture, and Scheme No. 2, Cold Storage. The suspension took effect on 4 September 2026 and the Board's circular describes it as lasting one month, while also saying the resumption date will be notified separately. Treat the reopening date as unknown rather than fixed.

The online facility for submitting fresh applications is unavailable during the pause. Applications already submitted before it began continue to be processed under the revised guidelines.

The stated reason is to allow orderly implementation of the guidelines revised on 21 August 2026, including verification of pending cases and updating of the online application system.

What the revised guidelines changed

Start with the scheme guides

NHB subsidy guide Commercial horticulture projects, protected cultivation above one acre, and cold storage from 5,001 MT. Open NHM subsidy guide The scheme that covers most states and union territories, component by component. Open NHM by state What we have verified for your state, and what is still an open question. Open Official documents The guidelines and circulars behind every explanation, with the version we checked. Open Glossary Cost norm, back-ended, credit-linked and the rest, in everyday language. Open Ask a question Private by default. No account, no phone number, answered with the source attached. Open

The questions people ask us most

Myth versus rule Does NHM give 50% subsidy? Rates run from 30% to 50% depending on the component, and every one carries a ceiling. Read the answer Start here What a cost norm actually means The upper limit used to calculate subsidy, not the price of your project. The single most misread number in the scheme. Read the answer Protected cultivation Polyhouse subsidy under NHM Area-wise cost norms for both polyhouse types, and the 4,000 square metre ceiling that shapes the project. Read the answer Choosing a route NHB or NHM: which applies? Project size usually decides. Where an NHM ceiling stops, the NHB route begins. Read the answer