Horticultural Prospect and Potential in India

Abstract

The paper tries to assess the regional potential of triggering agricultural development through horticultural crops with the help of secondary data as available in the publications of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The analysis of the secondary data uphold the following aspects: in vegetable production, West Bengal and Orissa are the leading states and in case of fruit production, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are ahead of others. Six to twelve per cent of gross cropped area and 8 to 9 per cent of gross cropped area respectively in West Bengal and Orissa are allocated to vegetable cultivation. In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh the area allocated to fruit production was 2 to 3 per cent with an increment to 5-6 per cent during 2004-05. Again, land area released from foodgrain is utilised for crops other than fruits and vegetables in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh