Horticulture production is estimated at 307.2 million tonnes (mt) in the current year (July-June), up 2.2 per cent over last year , according to second advance estimates of released by the Union Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday.
Last year’s production was 300.6 mt.
The production of fruits is estimated to be about 94.4 mt and vegetable 182 mt , the data showed.
Total area under horticulture crops was also up by 2.3 per cent to 25.4 million hectares (mha) from 24.85 mha in 2016-17. At 50.33 mt (48.61 mt) potato production is estimated to be 3.5 per cent , whereas a slump is expected in the output of onions, which is down 2.6 per cent at 21.84 mt. The highest increase in production among major vegetable crops, however, witnessed in tomato whose output is projected to grow by 6.6 per cent to 22 mt.
Among fruit crops, citrus fruits output is expected to go up strongly to 9.6 per cent at 12.51 mt (11.42 mt). The production of mangoes is projected to grow by 5.2 per cent to 20.52 mt, banana production is expected to drop below 30 mt (30.5 mt). The production of plantation crops too registered a decent growth mainly in crops such as areca and cashew . Spices production will be up 5 per cent to 8.54 mt (8.12 mt).
A substantial increase is also on anvil in the output of aromatic and medicinal plants and flowers. While the output of aromatic and medicinal plants is estimated to cross 1 mt (0.97 mt), flower production is expected to grow by 7.8 per cent to 2.58 mt.
RSS