GURUGRAM: Nursery operators across the district have been asked to complete the required training and apply for licences, with district horticulture officer Neha Yadav warning of action against unlicensed businesses in a statement reported on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The warning covers businesses raising fruit plants, ornamental plants and other horticultural planting material.

The direction is districtwide: the licensing framework applies whether a nursery operates along Sohna Road or elsewhere in Gurugram. Operators have been directed to approach the district horticulture office or their block horticulture development officer. The department's office directory places the Gurugram office at Agriculture Farm opposite the court complex.

What the existing state rules require

The warning concerns implementation of an existing framework. Haryana published its Horticulture Nurseries Act in April 2025 and the accompanying rules on June 30, 2026. Those dates should be distinguished from the November 10 local warning. The official rules notification sets out the fees, eligibility standards, inspection process and documents required for a licence.

Licences are issued by plant category. Fruit nursery applicants must identify the kinds and varieties they intend to propagate or sell. Other categories, including vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, spices, medicinal plants and aromatic crops, are licensed by category without individual variety details. A licence therefore covers the categories approved in that document.

Applications are to be made online through the horticulture department's website using Form A. The rules require proof of the owner's address and the land documents for the nursery. The prescribed supporting material also includes a nursery management training certificate and a report from a recognised laboratory showing the soil is free of soil borne pathogens.

  • New licence for fruit plants: Rs 20,000.
  • New licence for plants other than fruit plants: Rs 10,000.
  • Renewal for fruit plants: Rs 10,000.
  • Renewal for other plants: Rs 5,000.
  • Licence validity: five years, with renewal subject to compliance.

The minimum land requirements differ. For plants other than fruit plants, the rules specify at least 1,000 square metres of owned land or registered leased land, with a minimum three year lease. For fruit plants, the requirement is at least one acre of owned land or registered leased land for at least ten years.

Fruit nursery applicants must also have at least 25 mother plants of known pedigree for the particular fruit crop for which the licence is sought. The training requirement is at least one week in nursery management through the horticulture department's training institute or centres of excellence, an institute of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, or a state agricultural or horticultural university.

Inspection, records and safeguards for buyers

Receiving an application starts an inspection process. The competent authority can inspect the nursery itself or authorise an officer to do so. An inspection report is submitted online, and a grant or refusal order must be made within 90 days of receipt of the application. A refusal must give reasons. Operators should keep their application records and distinguish submission from the grant of a licence.

The 2025 Act requires a separate licence for each nursery where an owner runs more than one establishment, including within the same village or district. It also contains a transitional provision linked to commencement of the Act or the date a person becomes an owner. The November warning reports do not announce a fresh, uniform calendar deadline for every operator, so no such deadline is supplied here.

For buyers, the rules require a sale receipt and records of plant sales and purchases. Fruit plants must carry a water resistant label or a QR code giving the variety, age, source and rootstock information. Fruit nursery owners must display plant stock and prices on a board in the local language, with a green background and white lettering.

The rules also require registers covering plant protection measures and inspection instructions. Inspection can include examination of the premises, records and planting material, as well as collection of soil or plant samples for laboratory testing. The framework allows action over infected material, misrepresented stock and failure to comply with written instructions. It provides an online appeal route for refusal, suspension or cancellation decisions, with a 45 day filing period and a Rs 1,000 fee.

The district office telephone number given in the November 10 reports is 0124 2324067. Operators seeking clarification can use that office or the relevant block officer. Related district coverage includes the horticulture insurance conditions for beekeepers, bajra arrivals at three mandis and the Nathupur public objection process.