Market Survey

BY: DR G.VENUgOPAL, DR A. THILAgARAJ ANd S. NAttAR

HORTICULTURE ADDING NUTRITIONaL SECURITY

The growth of horticultural crops is economically rewarding. This sector is expected to grow and contribute to food and nutritional security, provided, the sector is nurtured with focused infrastructure development and has a conducive policy environment.

he term horticulture is derived from the Latin terms hortus (garden) and cultura (cultivation), which means gar-

den cultivation. Horticulture is the science and art of gardening which is associated with the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, ornamental plants, plantation crops,

tuber crops, medicinal and aromatic plants. Horticulture is more or less a smaller version of agriculture. While agriculture deals with culti-

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Market Survey
vation on a large scale, horticulture is gardening done on a smaller scale. While the first few five year plans assigned priority to achieving selfsufficiency in food grain production, over the years, horticulture has emerged as an indispensable part of agriculture, offering a wide range of choices to the farmers for crop diversification. It also provides ample opportunities for sustaining large number of agro-industries, which generate substantial employment opportunities. The horticulture sector contributes about 24.5 per cent of the GDP from about 8 per cent of the area. able for growing a large number of horticultural crops such as fruits, vegetables, root tuber, aromatic and medicinal plants, spices and plantation crops like coconut, arecanut, cashew and cocoa. Table 1-A and 1-B show the production of Indian horticulture from 1991-92 and 2001-2002 to 2009-10. There has been a significant increase in area and production of various horticultural productions. India produced 223,089 thousand metric tonnes of horticultural crops during 2009-10. India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables. The total production of fruits has been estimated at 71,516 thousand metric tonnes from an area of 6329 thousand hectares and that of vegetables has been estimated at 133,738 thousand metric tonnes from an area of 7985 thousand hectares during 2009-10. India is the largest producer of mango, banana, sapota and acid lime. About 39.5 per cent of the worlds mangoes and 11 per cent of worlds bananas are produced in India. In grapes, India has the highest productivity per unit area in the world. The country is next only to

Area and production

India is bestowed with a varied agro-climate, which is highly favour-

Table I-A

Indian Horticulture Production During 1991-92 and 2001-02 to 2009-10

(A = Area in 000 ha; P = Production in 000 MT) Year Fruits A P 1991-92 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Vegetables Flowers Nuts A P A P A P

2874 28,632 5593 58,532 NA NA NA NA 4010 43,001 6156 88,622 106 535 117 114 3788 45,203 6092 84,815 70 735 117 114 4661 45,942 6082 88,334 101 580 106 121 5049 50,867 6744 101,246 118 659 106 121 5324 55,366 7213 111,399 129 654 130 149 5554 59,563 7581 114,993 144 880 132 150 5857 65,587 7848 128,449 166 868 132 177 6101 68,466 7981 129,077 167 987 136 173 6329 71,516 7985 133,738 183 1021 142 193

Source: Indian Horticulture Database-2010

Table I-B

Indian Horticulture Production During 1991-92 and 2001-02 to 2009-10

(A = Area in 000 ha; P = Production in 000 MT) Year Aromatic and Plantation crops Spices Mushroom Honey Grand total medicinal plants A P A P A P P P A P

1991-92 NA NA 2298 7498 2005 1900 NA NA 12,770 96,562 2001-02 NA NA 2984 9697 3220 3765 40 10 16,592 145,785 2002-03 NA NA 2984 9697 3220 3765 40 10 16,270 144,380 2003-04 NA NA 3102 13,161 5155 5113 40 10 19,208 153,302 2004-05 131 159 3147 9835 3150 4001 40 10 18,445 166,939 2005-06 262 202 3283 11,263 2366 3705 35 52 18,707 182,816 2006-07 324 178 3207 12,007 2448 3953 37 51 19,389 191,813 2007-08 397 396 3190 11,300 2617 4357 37 65 20,207 211,234 2008-09 430 430 3217 11,336 2629 4145 37 65 20,662 214,716 2009-10 509 573 3265 11,928 2464 4016 41 65 20,876 223,089
Source: Indian Horticulture Database-2010

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Table II

Area and Production Under Horticultural Crops

(Area in 000 ha, production in 000 MT and productivity in MT/ha) 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Area Production Productivity Area Production Productivity Area Production Productivity Vegetables Fruits Plantation Crops Spices Flowers* Aromatic and medicinal plants Almonds and walnut Mushroom Honey 7848 128,449 5857 65,587 3190 11,300 2617 4357 166 868 397 396 132 177 37 65 16.4 11.2 3.5 1.7 5.2 7981 129,077 6101 68,466 3217 11,336 2629 4145 167 987 16.2 7985 133,738 11.2 6329 71,516 3.5 3265 11,928 1.6 2464 4016 5.9 183 1021 16.7 11.3 3.7 1.6 6.1

1.0 430 430 1.3 136 173 37 6

1.0 509 573 1.1 1.3 142 193 1.4 37 65

*Flowers production figures for loose flowers only. Source: Indian Horticulture Database-2010

Table III

Development
Productivity (MT/ha) 7.5 8.8 8.9 8.0 9.1 9.8 9.9 10.5 10.4 10.7 Table II reveals the area, production and productivity of horticultural crops from 2007-08 to 2009-10. There has been a significant increase in area and production of various horticultural crops. The emphasis on horticulture development is mainly focused through the developmental programmes of the Department of Agriculture, and cooperations such as the National Horticulture Mission, Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in North-Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, development of commercial horticulture and capital investment subsidy scheme of the National Horticulture Board (NHB) and integrated development of coconut including the technology mission of coconut. Further, new initiatives on micro-irrigation, national bamboo mission, the establishment of the Central Institute of Horticulture, Nagaland and the promotion of beekeeping through the National Bee Board have been taken for the develJULY 2011

All India Area, Production and Productivity of Horticultural Crops

Year Area (million ha) Production (million MT) 96.6 145.8 144.4 153.3 167.0 182.8 191.8 211.2 214.7 223.1 1991-92 12.8 2001-02 16.6 2002-03 16.3 2003-04 19.2 2004-05 18.4 2005-06 18.7 2006-07 19.4 2007-08 20.2 2008-09 20.7 2009-10 20.9
Source: Indian Horticulture Database-2009

China in area and production of vegetables and occupies prime position in the production of cauliflower, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world. India has also made noticeable advancements in the production of flowers. During 2009-10, the country produced 1021 thousand metric tonnes of loose flowers from an area of 183 thousand hectares. India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices

and spice products. The total estimated production of spices during 2009-10 was 4016 thousand metric tonnes and the area covered was 2464 thousand hectares. India is also the largest producer and consumer of cashew nuts. The total production of major plantation crops including coconut, cashewnut, arecanut and cocoa during 2009-10 was around 11,928 thousand metric tonnes from an area of 3265 thousand hectares.

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Table IV

Exports of Horticulture Produce

(Quantity in MTs, value in Rs lakh) Products Floriculture and seed Floriculture Fruits and vegetable seeds Total for floriculture and seeds Fresh fruits and vegetables Fresh onions Other fresh vegetables Dried nuts (walnuts) Fresh mangoes Fresh grapes Other fresh fruits Total for fresh fruits and vegetables Processed fruits and vegetables Dried and preserved vegetables Mango pulp Other processed and vegetables Total for processed fruits and vegetables Grand total
Source: Indian Horticulture Database2010

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value 36240.71 34014.42 30798.34 36881.41 26814.52 29446.36 10157.13 14212.29 8535.53 11999.09 8883.86 14507.51 46397.84 48226.71 39333.87 48880.5 35698.38 43953.87 1008606.48 350235.47 6716.48 54350.8 96963.57 207700.78 1724573.58 163577.89 48949.01 16207.8 12741.76 31782.51 30452.6 243711.57 1670186.29 505285.47 5696.34 83703.18 124627.97 256768.53 2646267.78 147861.21 173013.6 387126.42 708001.23 3393602.88 1827521.21 68020.32 14123.63 17071.25 40861.28 43086.84 365915.53 1664922.39 419241.35 9073.38 74460.61 131153.61 260675.43 2559526.77 231942.98 73185.91 19789.51 20053.98 54533.89 52283.32 451789.58

125726.28 42993.81 166752.17 50968.51 311756.29 96281.65 604234.74 190243.97 2375206.16 482182.25

49641.51 124613.5 53207.48 75298.9 186197.85 74460.77 137179 397978.17 143550.63 262119.41 708789.52 271218.88 676915.44 3304014.67 766962.33

opment of the horticulture/bamboo sector in India. Table III shows the all India area, production and productivity of horticultural crops. There has been a significant increase in area and production of various horticultural crops. The total productivity during 2009-10 was 10.75 million tonnes per hectare with a production of 223.1 million metric tonnes.

Table IV shows the exports of horticulture produce by India from 2007-08 to 2009-10.

Emerging challenges
The burgeoning population, shrinking arable land for agriculture due to urbanisation and industrial growth, and global competition has limited the possibilities for horizontal expansion. The answer in horticulture, therefore lies in vertical growth in terms of appropriate location-specific high-value crops with maximum productivity and cost effectiveness. After attaining food security, emphasis on production, protection and post-harvest management of horticultural crops needs to be laid to achieve nutritional security. India has the mandate to increase per capita availability of these crops in

Exports
Among horticultural commodities, India is exporting fresh fruits, vegetables, processed products of fruits and vegetables, cut and dried flowers, medicinal and aromatic plants, seeds, fresh mangoes and other vegetables. The total value of export of these commodities increased from Rs 67691.54 million in 2008-2009 to Rs 76696.23 million in 2009-10. 12
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order to meet the domestic and export needs, besides the needs of the processing industries. The overall demand for horticultural produce is estimated at 3304014.67 metric tonnes by 2011-12. Despite several achievements, there are challenges that need to be met for achieving the targeted produce. The land area is limited while the population of India has already crossed the billion mark. The global scenario has been changing with the signing of WTO by India and removal of quarantine curbs resulting in access to domestic market. Thus, it has become necessary to be competitive internationally.

Measures
The Indian scenario has been changing fast. Horticultural crop

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production has moved out of rural confines to urban areas. Traditional enterprises have given rise to horticulture business. Hi-tech greenhouse technology has been introduced in vegetable and flower production. Other features include increased use of micro-irrigation, exploitation of biotechnological tools in mass production of planting material and increased international trade. The past success in the horticultural production has been a direct result of two major policy initiativespromotion of diversification of Indian agriculture and introduction of far-reaching economic reforms. However, the emerging worldwide trend indicates a paradigm shift in dietary needs of people. This means that the demand for horticultural produce will continue to rise with the rise in income levels. Since the growth of horticultural crops is economically rewarding, this sector is expected to grow and contribute to food and nutritional security, provided, the sector is nurtured with focused infrastructure development and has a conducive policy environment. The sector has received proper attention in the formulation of agricultural policy of the government of Table V

Projected Demand of Various Horticultural Produce

Commodity Production (million tonnes) 2001-02 2007-08 2011-12 Growth rate (per cent) 8.8 10.9 8.3 12.7 24.0 20.0 10.5

Fruits 43.0 75.00 81.00 Vegetables 88.6 160.00 185.00 Spices 3.0 5.00 5.50 Coconut 8.8 18.00 20.00 Cashewnut 0.5 1.50 1.70 Others 2.2 6.00 6.80 Total 146.1 265.50 300.00

India, which aims at a systematic development of horticulture.

The way forward

Although India has the highest productivity with respect to some horticultural crops like grape and banana, much needs to be done for rest of the horticultural crops, which have dismal productivity levels when compared to the world average. Tremendous scope to enhance the productivity exists through a number of interventions. Since the land resources available are shrinking day by day for agricultural related activities due to increasing urbanisation and industrialisation, a prudent option open to Indian horticulture is to increase the productivity levels to meet the increasing demands. Although it is difficult to get fertile lands in this changing scenario, degraded and problematic soilswhich are available in abundancecan be brought under cultivation for horticultural crops. Fruits and vegetables rich in

nutritive value like aonla, ber and bael can be grown in such soils. Concrete efforts are needed from different agencies to reclaim such marginal and degraded soils and bring them under productive cultivation. Focused efforts are required to promote container-growing and kitchen gardening in the urban areas to meet the nutritional requirements of families. The technology for container-growing of fruits and vegetables is available in a number of research organisations. Such technologies can be popularised among the urban population to ensure adequate nutritional supplementation. The demand for organic fruits and vegetables is increasing at a rapid pace. Such horticultural produce grown through organic means is nutritionally superior and free from the injurious pesticide residues that are otherwise found in inorganically grown produce. Growing awareness, therefore, about the organic fruits and vegetables would further enhance the supply of nutrients in a safer way.

Dr G. Venugopal is assistant professor in department of management studies and research at Coimbatore Institute of Management and Technology, Coimbatore, Dr A. Thilagaraj is head & professor at College of Business Management, Krishnakiri, Oosur District, and S. Nattar is librarian in central library at Sri SRNM College, Sattur, Tamil Nadu
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