Introduction:
India's diverse climate ensures the availability of all varieties of fresh fruits & vegetables. India is the largest producer of Fruits in the world and is known as the fruit basket of the world. The major fruits grown in India are Mangoes, Grapes, Apples, Apricots, Oranges, Fresh Banana, Avocados, Guava, Litchi, Papaya, Sapota and Water Melons. India grows a large number of vegetables from temperate to humid tropics and from sea level to the snowline. Vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, particularly niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and vitamins A and C. They also supply minerals such as calcium and iron besides proteins and carbohydrates. Vegetables are known to be the cheapest source of natural beneficial ingredients. Most of the vegetables being short-duration crops fit very well in the intensive cropping system and are capable of giving very high yields with very high economic returns to the growers. Major vegetables grown in India are Potato, Onion, Tomato, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Beans, Egg Plants, Cucumber and Gherkin, Frozen Peas, Garlic and Okra.
Production and Area:
As per National Horticulture Database (2nd Advance Estimates) published by National Horticulture Board, during FY24, table as follows:
| Production in FY24’ (Mil MT) | Area under Cultivation in FY24’ (ha)(Mil) | |
| Fruits | 112.62 | 7.04 |
| Vegetables | 204.96 | 11.11 |
According to FAO (2022), India is the largest producer of Onions, ginger and okra among vegetables and ranks second in the production of Potatoes, Cauliflowers, Brinjal, Cabbages, etc. Amongst fruits, the country ranks first in the production of Bananas (25.56%), Mangoes (including mangosteens and guavas) (44.46%) and Papayas (38.64%).
Export:
Fresh fruits and vegetables: The vast production base offers India tremendous opportunities for export. During 2023-24, India exported fresh fruits and vegetables 1814.58 USD Millions which comprised Fresh Fruits and vegetables as in below table. Grapes, Pomegranates, Mangoes, Bananas, and Oranges account for the larger portion of fruits exported from the country while Onions, Mixed Vegetables, Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Green Chilly Contribute largely to the vegetable export basket.
| Exports FY24 (USD Mil) | |
| Fruits | 986.32 |
| Vegetables | 828.26 |
| Exported in FY24 (USD Mil) | |
| Processed Fruits (& Juices) | 986.32 |
| Processed Vegetables (& pulses) | 1730.79 |
Major exporting destinations:
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Bangladesh, UAE, Netherland, Nepal, Malaysia, Iraq, U.K, Sri Lanka, Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Processed Fruits and Vegetables: U.S.A, UAE, Bangladesh, U.K, Saudi Arab, China and Netherland.
Though India's share in the global market is nearly 1% only, there is increasing acceptance of horticulture produce from the country. This has occurred due to concurrent developments in the areas i.e. state-of-the-art in cold chain infrastructure and quality assurance measures. Apart from large investments pumped in by the private sector, the public sector has also taken the initiative with APEDA for setting up several Centers for Perishable Cargoes and integrated post-harvest handling facilities in the country. Capacity-building initiatives at the farmers, processors and exporters levels have also contributed towards this effort.
