Vegetable Crop Types

India is a country where all kinds of vegetables and fruits are easily cultivated. India's diverse climate ensures availability of all varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China. According to the National Horticultural Database published by the National Horticulture Board, during 2015-16, India produced 90.2 million metric tonnes of fruits and 169.1 million metric tonnes of vegetables. The area under cultivation of fruits was 6.3 million hectares, while the cultivation of vegetables was done on 10.1 million hectares.

India is the largest producer of ginger and okra among vegetables and vegetables and is the second largest producer of potato, onion, cauliflower, brinjal, cabbage etc. Apart from fruits, the country ranks first in production of bananas (25.7%), papaya (43.6%). And mangoes (including mangos tens and guvas) (40.4%).

Grapes, pomegranates, mangoes, bananas, oranges account for the bulk of the fruits exported from the country, while onions, mixed vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes and green peppers contribute largely to the vegetable export basket. Major destinations of Indian fruits and vegetables are Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Nepal, Malaysia, UK, Sri Lanka, Oman and Qatar.

Although India's share in the global market is still around 1%, the acceptance of horticultural products from the country is increasing. This is due to concurrent development in the areas of state-of-the-art cold chain infrastructure and quality assurance measures. In addition to the large investment levied by the private sector, the public sector has also taken initiative and with the aid of APEDA has established several centers for perishable cargo and facilities for integrated crop harvesting in the country. Capacity building initiatives at the level of farmers, processors and exporters have also contributed to this effort.