Growing across nations and continents

According to agriculture ministry estimates, exotic fruits were grown in 2021-22 in over 2.8 million hectares. The area under such crops was almost negligible in the early 2000s

Surinder Sud
Last Updated at November 27, 2022 22:08 IST

Backed by burgeoning demand and high profitability, the cultivation of exotic and novel fruits and vegetables is expanding in India at a fast pace. The awareness of the need to eat diversified and relatively nutritious and immunity-boosting foods, which got new impetus during the pandemic, has further pushed up the consumption of non-traditional fruits and vegetables, thereby increasing both the imports and domestic production of these products. The import of these items has almost doubled in just one year — from about 360,000 tonnes in 2020 to a record 721,000 tonnes in 2021. Domestic output is reckoned to be surging by over 10 per cent a year.

TO READ THE FULL STORY, SUBSCRIBE NOW NOW AT JUST RS 249 A MONTH.

MONTHLY

₹ 249

Select

ANNUAL

₹ 1799

Select

Best Offer

SMART ANNUAL

₹ 1499

₹ 1799

Opt for auto renewal and save Rs 300

Select

What you get on Business Standard Premium?

Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.
Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.
26 years of website archives.
Preferential invites to Business Standard events.