In India, annual growth in horticulture has seen fruit production surge impressively, growing faster than vegetables, which constitute the largest segment of the agriculture sector. India ranks second as the largest global fruit producer behind China.
The stellar performance of fruits has attracted attention of statisticians. The agriculture ministry's 'horticultural statistics at a glance 2015' says:
"Grapes occupy the premier position in exports with 107.3 thousand tonnes valued at Rs 10.9 billion in 2014-15. Other fruits which attained significant position in exports are banana and mango."
Robust growth of horticulture indicates a growing demand within the country too.
China tops the list of fruit production with 154.364 million tonnes (MT) in 2013 followed by India (82.631 MT), Brazil (37.774 MT), USA (26.986 MT), Spain (17.699 MT), Mexico (17.553 MT), Italy (16.371 MT) and Indonesia (16.003 MT). Surprisingly, though productivity is a weak spot for India, the country performs better than China and Spain.
The handbook, published by the Oxford University Press, points out that significant progress has been made in increasing area under horticulture resulting in higher production. "Over the last decade, the area under horticulture grew by about 2.7% per annum and annual production increased by 7%," it said.
State-wise, Maharashtra topped the list followed by Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
