The Indian Agriculture Ministry has increased its horticulture crop production estimate for the 2022-23 season (July 2022-June 2023) by two percent. The forecast for this period is over 355 million tons, compared to 347 million tons in the previous year. This latest revision slightly surpasses the second estimate of 351.92 million tons. No estimates for the current season's horticulture output have been released due to the varied growing seasons across different states.
Despite the difficulties posed by climate change, horticulture production has risen, attributed to the hard work of farmers and agricultural scientists, according to Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda.
The third estimate from the Agriculture Ministry indicates an increase in horticulture crop production by 8.07 million tons (or 2.32 percent) to 355.25 million tons. Fruit production is predicted to rise to 109.53 million tons in 2022-23 from 107.51 million tons last year, while vegetable output is expected to increase to 213.88 mt from 209.14 mt.
Potato production is forecasted to rise to 60.22 mt from 56.18 mt last year, while tomato output is expected to decrease to 20.37 mt from 20.69 mt. The government has not released an onion output estimate for 2022-23 due to concerns about potential price increases.
A senior scientist from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) stated that even with a decrease in the area used for fruits and vegetables, production has increased, demonstrating the success of efforts to develop higher-yielding varieties.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com