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Horticulture crop output seen at record 305.4 mt in 2017-18

Posted on: February 15, 2018 | Back | Print

Horticulture crop output seen at record 305.4 mt in 2017-18

 

Production of horticulture crops like vegetables and fruits is likely to touch a record 305.4 million tonnes (mt) in 2017-18, about 1.6% higher than the previous year and 8% higher than the previous five years’ average, the Agriculture Ministry said in its first advance estimates.

 

The final estimates for 2016-17 also released at the same time showed that production of these perishable crops was 300.6 mt, a year-on-year rise of over 5%.

 

Within horticulture, production of vegetables is estimated at 181 mt in 2017-18, about 1% higher than the year before, while that of fruits is estimated at 95 mt, 2% higher than the previous year.

 

The record production during 2017-18 will mark the sixth straight year of horticulture production outstripping that of foodgrains (estimated at 276mt in 2016-17), suggesting a structural change in Indian agriculture where farmers are increasingly growing perishable commercial crops due to a growing market and a quicker cash flow as these crops require less time from sowing to marketing. (Livemint:  January 03, 2018)