India’s Horticulture Output Hits 367.72 M Tonnes

India’s horticulture sector has shown remarkable growth over the past decade, supported by government efforts to diversify into high-value agriculture and boost farmers’ income.

As of 2024-25 (second advance estimates), horticulture production rose from 280.70 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 367.72 million tonnes. This includes fruit production of 114.51 million tonnes, vegetables at 219.67 million tonnes, and 33.54 million tonnes from other horticultural crops.

From 2014-15 to 2023-24, fruit output increased from 866 lakh metric tonnes to 1,129.7 lakh metric tonnes, a 30% rise, while vegetable production grew from 1,694.7 lakh metric tonnes to 2,072 lakh metric tonnes, marking a 22% increase. Productivity also improved, with fruits reaching 15.80 tonnes per hectare and vegetables 18.40 tonnes per hectare.

“The horticulture sector has witnessed notable progress through targeted government schemes and initiatives addressing key challenges while unlocking the sector’s full potential. The focus remains on enhancing crop quality, increasing production, and improving farmers’ access to markets,” an official statement said.

The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, launched in 2014-15, aims to ensure holistic growth across all states and union territories. Independent impact assessments, including by NITI Aayog, and regular monitoring by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, have helped restructure the scheme and address field-level challenges.

Key initiatives include establishing Centres of Excellence for demonstration and training, the Horticulture Cluster Development Programme to leverage regional strengths, and a clean plant programme to provide disease-free planting material.

The government also supports the establishment of nurseries and tissue culture units, the expansion and rejuvenation of orchards and gardens, and the promotion of protected cultivation through polyhouses and greenhouses for high-value crops.

Additional interventions include promoting organic farming and certification, developing water resources and watershed management, and creating post-harvest and marketing infrastructure such as pack houses, cold storages, pre-cooling units, refrigerated transport, ripening chambers, and integrated cold chain systems.

These measures are part of India’s broader effort to strengthen the horticulture sector and expand its role in domestic and global markets.

  [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]