Centre estimates dip in onion, potato production

Fruit and vegetable production in the country could touch 355.25 million tonnes (MT) in 202324, according to the first advanced estimates of area and production of horticultural crops released by the Union Agriculture Ministry on Thursday. The area of production will be 28.77 million hectares. The final estimates for 202223 stand at 355.48 MT in 28.44 million hectares.

The data for 202223 show a 2.39% (8.30 MT) increase in production over that of 202122. “An increase in area of 1.41% or 0.40 million hectares is observed in 202223 (final estimates) over 202122,” the Ministry said.

Fruit production is estimated to be 110.21 MT in 202223 (final estimates), mainly due to increases in production of apples, bananas, grapes, mangoes and watermelon. Production of vegetables has increased from 209.14 MT in 202122 to 212.55 MT in 202223.

In the first advance estimates for 202324, the production is estimated to be about 355.25 MT. “An increase in area of 1.15% or 3.27 lakh hectares is observed in 202324 (first estimate) over 202223 (final estimate),” the government said. “The production of fruits is expected to reach 112.08 MT, mainly due to increases in production of banana, mandarin and mango. Production of vegetables is envisaged to be around 209.39 million tonnes. Increase is expected in production of cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin, tapioca, tomato and other vegetables,” the Centre added.

While the production of tomatoes is expected to increase by 1.93% over the previous year’s numbers, the production of onions is expected to be around 254.73 lakh tonne, much less than the 302.08 lakh tonne of last year.

Production of potatoes in 202324 is also expected to be lower at around 589.94 lakh tonne compared to around 601.42 lakh tonne last year.

India’s horticulture production in 2023-24 largely steady at 355.25 million tonnes