Rising domestic demand for fruit and vegetables, particularly in urban areas, is boosting India’s horticultural sector, reports Reuters.
In 2007/08, fruit and vegetable output hit 206m tonnes, marking a 41per cent increase on the 146.5m tonnes produced in 2001/02, and acreageunder horticulture crops rose by 17 per cent to 20.2m ha in the sameperiod, government data showed.
Agricultural land used to grow cereals and pulses, and in some caseseven cash crops, is being diverted to horticulture, NationalHorticulture Board managing director Bijay Kumar told Reuters. Andfarmers are also looking at barren land for fruit and vegetableproduction.
'In the last few years the horticulture sector has been growing ataround 6 per cent. In the next five years horticulture production maycross 270m tonnes,' Mr Kumar said.
Industry analyst Rabo India Finance told Reuters demand for fruitand vegetables is rising by 10-11 per cent per annum, higher than theeconomy’s 9 per cent annual growth rate.
'Consumption is rising largely because of increased income levelsand also there is a general health consciousness emerging in India,especially in urban areas, about eating healthy,' S Venkatraman,director of food and agribusiness for Rabo India, said.
Horticulture crops cover only 8.5 per cent of the cultivable area, but constitute 30 per cent of the agricultural GDP.
