Vegetable production up 3%; fruits by 1% in FY'12

NEW DELHI: Production of vegetables in the country rose by 3 per cent to 150.59 million tonnes last fiscal, while that of fruits was marginally up by 1 per cent at 75.27 million tonnes in the same period.

The country had produced 146.55 million tonnes of vegetables and 74.88 million tonnes of fruits in the 2010-11 fiscal, Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat told Parliament last week.

On prices of fruits and vegetables, Rawat said they were governed by the market forces of demand and supply. The prices depend upon the prevailing weather conditions, transportation cost, storage and rising demand due to increasing income and urbanisation, he added.

"The government has been implementing the Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan states ( HMNEH) and National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in the remaining states to enhance production of horticulture crops including fruits and vegetables," the minister said.

Under these missions assistance is provided for establishing nurseries, seed production for vegetables, enhancing quality production, he added.

Emphasis is also laid on increasing productivity of fruits and vegetables through area expansion, protected cultivation, canopy management, integrated nutrient and water management, integrated pest management, rejuvenation of senile orchards and so on, Rawat said.