Horticulture: India
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Production in horticulture vis-à-vis agriculture
2012-15: horticulture output beats grain
The Times of India Jan 01 2016
Vishwa Mohan
India's horticulture output has outpaced the production of foodgrains third year in a row in 2014-15 despite deficit monsoon, unseasonal rains and hailstorms. Besides, horticulture production also showed continuous increase unlike foodgrain output which reported a decline in 2014-15 as compared to 2013-14.
The figures are part of the horticultural statistics, released by the Union agriculture ministry on Thursday .
The report `Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2015' shows that while Maharashtra tops the list of states in terms of leading fruit-producing states, West Bengal is at top in terms of vegetable production in 2013-14. Similarly, Tamil Nadu is the top flower producing state while Gujarat is the leading spices producing state.
Horticultural crops comprise of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, flowers, spices and aromatics, while the foodgrains basket contains wheat, rice, coarse cereals, oil seeds and pulses.
Noting the consumption pattern, the publication said that the nutritional intake from fruits and vegetables is higher among urban population than that of rural population. Releasing the first is sue of such detailed compilation agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said, “The data would help policy planners, farmers and other stakeholders“.
The publication notes that India has witnessed volumi nous increase in horticulture production over the last few years. Data show that fruits and vegetables account for nearly 90% of the total horticulture production in India.
Production
2016-17 production 4.8% higher than 2015-16
Vishwa Mohan, Horticulture yield up 5% over 2015-16, September 1, 2017: The Times of India
Despite Higher Output, Farmers Have To Sell Their Produce At Throwaway Prices
India's horticulture production in 2016-17 is estimated at a record 300 million tonnes, which is 4.8% higher than the previous year. The agriculture ministry released its third advance estimate for production of horticulture crops, giving record estimates for fruits, vegetables, spices and plantation crops like arecanut, cashewnut, cocoa and coconut.
Figures show that horticulture production will beat foodgrain yield fifth year in a row, continuing the rising trend since 2012-13.
The increased horticultural production is, however, not an indicator of rise in income of cultivators. This was reflected again this year when farmers had to sell their produce, mainly onion, potato and tomato, at throwaway prices in many part of the country due to multiple reasons, including absence of cold chain.
“Being perishable items, horticultural produce needs extra attention during storage and transportation. We don't have enough storage facilities in many parts of the country , leaving the farmers to struggle to get remunerative prices“, said an official. He said the continuous increase in horticultural production also indicated growing demand of consumers for these items. “It led to increase in the area under horticulture crops“, he said.
The area under horticulture crops increased from 24.5 million hectares in 2015-16 to 25.1 million hectares in 2016-17 crop year (Ju ly-June), recording an increase of 2.6%. The ministry's estimates show record production of fruits at 93.7 million tonnes (MT) during 2016-17, which is about 3.9% higher than the previous year. Similarly , production of vegetables is estimated to be a record 176MT, which is 4.2% higher than the previous year.
Among vegetables, all three major crops -onion, potato and tomato -saw higher production in 2016-17 as compared to 2015-16.Potato production, however, hit a new high, increasing from 43.4MT in 2015-16 to 48.2MT in 2016-17, which is 11.1% higher than the previous year. Spices recorded the maximum jump. Its production is estimated to be around 8.2MT, which is 17.4% higher than the previous year.
2016> 2018, 4.5% higher horticultural production vis-à-vis agricultural production
Vishwa Mohan, Fruits topple TOP to head growth chart, August 30, 2018: The Times of India
Share of TOP (tomato, onion and potato), and fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and plantation crops
Horticulture production vs. foodgrains, 2012-18
From: Vishwa Mohan, Fruits topple TOP to head growth chart, August 30, 2018: The Times of India
Horticulture Production Beats Agri
There has been a decline in production of popular kitchen staples like tomato, onion and potato (TOP) in 2017-18 crop year as compared to 2016-17, but overall horticulture production in the country still touched a new high — thanks to 4.5% higher fruits production during the year.
Past output data also showed farmers’ gradual shift towards horticulture crops whose production has consistently been outstripping that of foodgrains for the last six years.
Latest production figures, released by the agriculture ministry on Wednesday, show that the total horticulture production was estimated to be 306.8 million tonnes (MT) during 2017-18 which is 2% higher than the previous year.
Though the overall production of vegetables too was higher by 1% in 2017-18 as compared to the previous year, the increase was mainly attributed to non-TOP crops like beans, brinjal, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, radish and others.
The shift towards horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers, plantation crops and others) was noticed in marginal increase in acreage as well. Figures show that the area under horticultural crops increased from 24.5 million hectares in 2015-16 to 24.8 million hectares in 2016-17 and to 25.6 million hectares in 2017-18.
The shift can be attributed to the growing market and quicker cash flow as horticulture crops (vegetables and fruits) require lesser time from sowing to marketing as compared to foodgrains. Besides, they also get higher returns to farmers.
“It is a fact that farmers are shifting towards horticulture crops because of high profitability. But, it is not translated into adequate profits because of inefficient supply chains,” said Sudhir Panwar, farm expert and former member of the UP planning commission.
2019: 1% higher than 2018
Vishwa Mohan, Horticulture output to hit record 315 MT this yr, January 31, 2019: The Times of India
India’s bumper horticulture harvest keeps getting bigger with this year’s production expected to touch a new record of 314.67 million tonnes (MT), nearly 1% higher than last year and 8% higher than the five-year average.
Advance estimates released by the agriculture ministry show that overall production of horticultural produce (fruits, vegetables, spices and flowers) in the 2018-19 crop year (July-June) will be better than the 311.7 MT recorded last year. The glut, however, is also a cause for worry with farm experts questioning whether farmers would actually reap the benefits of such bumper output. High production depresses prices and farmers are left in the lurch.
2016-21
Vishwa Mohan, March 9, 2021: The Times of India
From: Vishwa Mohan, March 9, 2021: The Times of India
Just as India’s foodgrain output witnessed a record surge despite challenges posed by Covid-19, the country’s horticulture production too is likely to touch an all-time high of 327 million tonnes (MT) in 2020-21 with potato and mango dominating the vegetables and fruits segments, respectively.
Estimates of horticulture crops in the 2020-21 crop year (July-June cycle), released on Monday, show an increase of nearly 2% over 2019-20 in production of fruits, vegetables, aromatic & medicinal plants and plantation crops.. Output of spices and flowers has, however, shown a decline over the previous year.
Acreage records show that the area under horticulture crops has also consistently been increasing in tune with growing demand for fruits and vegetables in the country. Overall figures show that the horticulture production has once again outstripped foodgrain production in 2020-21 – a trend which has been visible since 2012-13.
Driven by an increase in output of potato by nearly 10%, the overall output of vegetables is estimated to be 194 million tonnes (MT) in 2020-21 compared to 189 MT in the previous crop year. Among the three most popular kitchen staples, tomatoes, onions and potatoes (TOP), onions recorded a marginal increase, while tomato production dipped by nearly 1 MT in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20.
Backed by the ‘king of fruits’ mango that recorded an increase of over 4% to 21 MT, the overall production of fruits is estimated to be 103 MT in 2020-21 compared to 102 MT in 2019-20. Output of bananas too is estimated to be higher at 33.7 MT for 2020-21 compared with 32.5 MT last year.
The ministry had last month released estimated output data of foodgrains, showing a new record of around 303 MT which is over 2% higher than the production in previous year.
2020-21
Mohan, March 29, 2022: The Times of India
From: Mohan, March 29, 2022: The Times of India
New Delhi: Horticultural production in India is estimated to have marginally fallen from 334. 6 million tonnes in 2020-21 to 333. 3MT in the current crop year, even as the output of fruits is estimated to be slightly higher in 2021-22 over the previous year. The decline is estimated for the first time in seven years after reporting a consistent increase in output since 2014-15. The marginal dip of 0. 4% in overall horticultural production can be attributed to over 4. 6% decrease in production of potato due to flooding of crops in certain states. Decreased potato output has, in fact, pulled down overall production of vegetables despite nearly 17% increase in the output of the favourite kitchen staple onion in 2021-22 over the previous year.
Other products in the horticulture basket such as spices, flowers, aromatic & medicinal plants and plantation crops too reported decline in their respective outputs in the current year over 2020-21.
The latest estimates, released by the agriculture ministry on Monday, show that the decrease in overall output of horticulture crops happened despite an increase in acreage from 27. 5 million hectares in 2020-21 to 27. 6 million hectares in the current crop year.
“The consistent increase in acreage of horticulture crops reflects the farmers’ priorities as they have slowly and gradually been shifting towards producing fruits and vegetables, keeping in pace with the growing demands of these products. The estimated dip in output in 2021-22 is, however, quite marginal. Final figures may change in subsequent estimates,” said an official who keeps a track on acreage and production.
The ministry’s data shows that the decline in overall output in 2021-22 happened after an impressive year of 2020-21.
2022 – 23 vis-à-vis 2021-22
PTI, June 26, 2023: Business Standard
India's horticulture production is estimated to rise 1 per cent to record 350.87 million tonnes in 2022-23, mainly on the back of higher output of fruits and vegetables
India's horticulture production is estimated to rise 1 per cent to record 350.87 million tonnes in 2022-23, mainly on the back of higher output of fruits and vegetables.
The production stood at 347.18 million tonnes in the previous year.
The agriculture ministry released its first advance estimates (2022-23) of area and production of horticultural crops.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar attributed the record production to efforts made by farmers and scientists, besides favourable policies made by the central government and co-operation from states.
Fruits production is estimated to rise to 107.75 million tonnes from 107.51 million tonnes in 2021-22, while the output of vegetables is projected to rise to 212.53 million tonne as compared to 209.14 million tonne.
Among vegetables, onion production is estimated to fall to 31.01 million tonne from 31.69 million tonne in 2021-22.
The production of potatoes is set to increase to 59.74 million tonnes in 2022-23 from 56.18 million tonnes in the previous year.
Tomatoes production is estimated to fall slightly to 20.62 million tonnes in 2022-23 from 20.69 million tonnes in the previous year.
2026: Damage by rain, hailstorms heatwaves/ Output: 2014-2024
Madan Kumar, Sandip Dighe, Tushar Pawar & Rohit Mullick TNN, June 2, 2026: The Times of India
From: Madan Kumar, Sandip Dighe, Tushar Pawar & Rohit Mullick TNN, June 2, 2026: The Times of India
Every year in Muzaffarpur, the summer’s oppressive heat brings with it the heavy, sweet scent of ripening fruit that fills the air. The pale pink ping pong ball-shaped fruit holds the promise of succulent, sweet flesh and juicy satisfaction. But this year, the smell of damp earth and rotting hangs across orchards in this Bihar district that’s famous the world over for its ‘Shahi’ litchi.
“When you walk into the orchard during litchi season, you can hear the call of birds and buzz of bees,” says 40-yearold Jitu Paswan, treading on a carpet of thousands of blackened, half-ripe fruits. “This year, you can hear the clicking sound of millions of bugs crawling over the bark. If you shake a branch, they drop on your head and spray a foul, burning liquid that stains your skin and stings your eyes.” This almost dystopian scene has been caused by the combination of unseasonal rain in the last two months and the attack of the ‘stink bug’ pest.
Last year, Paswan was able to use earnings from the harvest to pay for a daughter’s school fees and wedding expenses for another daughter. This year, he has nothing. Paswan is not alone. Scientists estimate that nearly 70% of Bihar’s litchi crop has been wiped out this year.
Changing Weather
Unseasonal rain, hailstorms and heatwaves during April-May have adversely impacted fruit crops across the country, putting in jeopardy thousands of farmers and farm incomes. Besides litchi, apples, mangoes, grapes and bananas have been badly hit. The damage is only compounded by the fact that horticulture farming is capital-intensive and a far riskier endeavour than typical cropping.
Ramchandra Sable, a Maharashtra-based agrometeorologist, says rising temperatures and erratic rainfall are disrupting delicate crop stages such as flowering, pollination and fruit development. Fruit crops are highly climate-sensitive because their reproductive phases depend on stable temperature and humidity conditions, he says.
“Mangoes require specific winter conditions for proper flowering. Grapes need dry weather during maturity. Bananas are vulnerable to wind and excess moisture. What we are seeing now is increased climate variability, sudden rain events, hailstorms, heat stress and prolonged humidity, all within short periods,” he added.
Litchi Reports A Bug
Climate change has severely crippled production of Bihar’s iconic, GI-tagged Shahi litchi. The delicate, subtropical fruit demands strict microclimatic conditions to thrive, but erratic weather cycles have triggered crop losses. ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture director T Damodaran says that India’s litchi production is expected to go down by 40% because of crop loss in Bihar.
Scientists working at ICARNational Research Centre on Litchi (NRCL), Muzaffarpur, say unseasonal rain, dense cloud cover, and severe hailstorms destroyed what was left of the delicate blossoms (manjar) and young fruits. Temperatures breached 38°C in April and May, causing massive, premature fruit drop. Intense heat coupled with dry westerly winds blackened the skin, dried up the succulent pulp, and cracked the fruit before it could mature. Then came the rain and hailstorm of April and May. The moisture and sudden heat created a perfect, suffocating greenhouse effect — the ideal breeding ground for an aggressive, full-blown epidemic of the litchi stink bug.
While the stink bug is a known pest, its numbers this year grew beyond anything local scientists or farmers had ever recorded. Deprived of nutrients, litchis drop to the ground long before they can ripen. Those that manage to stay on the branch become stained, bitter, and unfit for sale.
Multiple Crises Hit Mango
Summer once meant certainty in the orchards across Maharashtra. Mango trees in Konkan would bend under the weight of the Alphonso fruit, banana growers in Jalgaon would ready truckloads for markets across north India, and vineyards in Nashik would race against time to meet export deadlines.
This year, many farmers say the season instilled fear and unease. Agriculture department studies showed widespread losses in north Maharashtra, especially in Nashik and Dhule districts, while mango growers in Konkan reported one of the weakest harvests in recent years. In the Konkan belt, Alphonso farmers say flowering patterns have become erratic due to warmer winters, while unseasonal rain and humidity trigger fungal attacks and fruit drop.
Flagging erratic growth, Ramesh Parab, a mango grower from Ratnagiri, said, “Flowering comes early in some patches and late in others. Then, rain arrives during fruit setting and the tiny mangoes fall to the ground. We have seen three difficult years on the trot.”
Maharashtra’s Alphonso output reported a sharp decline this season because of prolonged cloud cover, pest attacks and erratic weather, according to growers and officials.
Banana Comes A Cropper
Jalgaon, the banana capital of India because of its export-quality fruit, reported similar distress after strong winds and heavy rain flattened plantations. Strong winds toppled entire rows overnight and lakhs of rupees spent on drip irrigation, tissue culture plants and fertilisers were wasted. “Banks still want repayment and so do the input companies. But the crop is lying ruined on the ground,” Patil added. He said climate-related losses are now becoming more regular than rare.
“Earlier, extreme weather happened once every five or six years. Now, every season brings new shocks. We farm under tension every single day,” he added.
Grape Takes A Tumble
The grape industry, too, is in the throes of a severe crisis with production dropping by nearly 50% from 36 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 (NovApril) grape season to 19.3 lakh tonnes in 2025-26. The steepest decline of 70% in grape production was in Nashik district, from 15.8 lakh tonnes last year to merely 5.3 lakh tonnes this year. Sangli district witnessed a 60% drop and Pune region reported a 30% fall.
According to Kailas Bhosle, president of the grape growers’ association, continuous rainfall from May last year till mid-Oct affected the flowering and fruiting stages in vineyards. Balasaheb Palve, a grape farmer from Velapur village in Niphad taluka, said his four-acre vineyard did not produce any fruit this season.
“Earlier, each plant used to produce around 34-35 bunches, but this time it yielded only three to four. I finally uprooted the vineyard on four acres in early Nov and sowed maize. However, that too failed. I got low prices for the grapes and could not recover my expenses,” he added. He is struggling with a Rs 15 lakh bank loan and has borrowed Rs 12-13 lakh from friends and relatives.
“Summer was when we earned and cleared our debts,” says grape farmer Suresh Jadhav from Niphad in Nashik district. “This year, hail hit my vineyard just before harvesting. Nearly half the bunches cracked or developed fungus after rain.
Export agents rejected the crop, saying it was not fit for Europe. One unseasonal spell of rain is enough to destroy an entire year of work,” he added.
Apple On Red Alert
Up north, Himachal Pradesh looks headed for one of its worst apple seasons, with farmers reporting up to 70% losses due to prolonged erratic weather. “It’s unprecedented,” said Harish Chauhan, president of the Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers Growers Association, adding, “Our estimates suggest an overall loss of up to 70% in the state’s major apple belts. The state’s apple economy could shrink from Rs 5,000-6,000 crore to just Rs 1,5002,000 crore this season.”
A combination of inadequate chilling hours, sharp temperature fluctuations, frost, hailstorms, and untimely rainfall has ravaged orchards in Kullu, Shimla, Kinnaur, and parts of Mandi. These conditions have severely disrupted the critical stages of flowering, pollination, and fruit setting.
While the higher reaches, such as Kinnaur, have fared relatively better, mid and lower elevations have witnessed extensive damage, reaching 80% in some areas. Traditional varieties such as Royal Delicious and Red Delicious are among the worst hit. Weather conditions have been unfavourable since winter. “Apple orchards did not receive the requisite chilling hours due to delayed and comparatively less snowfall, affecting bud development and fruitsetting cycle. And, in the peak apple flowering season in March, the weather took a sharp turn,” Chauhan says. According to the Shimla Met office, heatwaves scrambled the first fortnight of March in Kullu, Mandi and Sirmaur, and then cold weather struck after March 15 due to snowfall in parts of Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba and Kinnaur districts.
Horticulture expert Gurmohinder Singh Kotia, who runs an apple nursery in Kullu, said the ideal flowering temperature is 1522°C, but March saw wild fluctuations — spikes of 30°C and slumps of 10°C.
Bleak Future
Adaptation, rather than shortterm compensation, will determine whether fruit farming remains viable. Scientists say that India needs climate-resilient farming strategies and horticulture planning must be redesigned around climate realities. This includes weather-resilient crop varieties, protective netting, micro-irrigation, better drainage systems, real-time weather advisories and stronger crop insurance coverage. Farmers also need access to decentralised cold storage and processing units so damaged produce can still generate some income.
ICAR’s Damodaran says studies have shown how techniques like cluster spraying and lowering canopy size have been effective in combating the stink bug on the litchi fruit.
In his Muzaffarpur orchard, litchi farmer Krishna Murari picks up a fallen, half-eaten litchi and gently cracks open the leathery skin. Inside, a small pocket of translucent white flesh remains untouched by the rot. He puts it in his mouth. The legendary sweetness is still there, sharp and vibrant, a stubborn reminder of what his land can produce.
Adapting To Climate Change
● India is developing HRMN-99, Anna, and Golden Dorset for apples and Arka Udaya and Arka Suprabhath as varieties of mango. These crops can cope with unpredictable weather and boost farm productivity
● In the last decade Indian Council of Agricultural Research has released 2,177 crop varieties targeting various abiotic stresses like soil salinity and phosphorus, submergence in flood-prone areas, drought, heat and adaptability to late agricultural rainfed sowing cycles
Betting On Resilient Fruits
Dragon fruit | Grown in waterscarce regions of India (such as Andhra and Telangana), Southeast Asia, and Mexico Indian jujube/ber | Grown in arid, semi-arid desert zones of sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, north-west India (specifically Rajasthan)
Garnacha/carignan variety of grapes | This heat resistant fruit is grown in Europe (Spain, Italy, and southern France), California, and parts of Australia
