Horticulture output rises to 351.92 mn tonne in 2022-23: Govt data

India's horticulture production is estimated to have risen annually by 1.37 per cent to 351.92 million tonne in 2022-23 due to better productivity, according to government data.

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Wednesday released the second advance estimates of the area and production of various horticultural crops for the year 2022-23.

According to this estimate, total horticulture production in the country is expected to be a record 351.92 million tonne in 2022-23, with an increase of about 4.74 million tonne (1.37 per cent) as compared to the previous year, an official statement said.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that "along with food grains, horticulture is also continuously recording record production in the country, which is the good result of the hard work of our farmers, the efficiency of scientists and the farmer-friendly policies of the central government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is committed to the welfare of farmers."

Production of fruits, vegetables, plantation crops, flowers and honey is expected to increase.

"Fruit production is estimated to be 108.34 million tonne in the year 2022-23 as compared to 107.51 million tonne in the year 2021-22. The production of vegetables is estimated to be 212.91 million tonne in the year 2022-23 compared to 209.14 million tonne in the year 2021-22," the statement said.

Production of plantation crops is estimated to increase from 15.76 million tonne in 2021-22 to 16.05 million tonne in 2022-23, which is an increase of about 1.78 per cent.

As per the data, potato output is expected to be 60.54 million tonne compared to 56.18 million tonne in the year 2021-22.