India Horticulture Crop Harvest Reaches 355.35 Mn Tonnes in 2022-23

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) The country is estimated to have harvested 355.35 million tonnes of horticulture crops in the 2022-23 crop year, about 8.07 million tonnes more than the previous year, as per agriculture ministry data released on Thursday.

The ministry has come out with the third production estimate after the harvesting of the 2022-23 horticulture crops.

Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said despite challenges surrounding climate change, horticulture production has gone up, thanks to efforts of farmers and agri-scientists.

As per the third estimate released by the ministry, total production of horticulture crops has increased 2.32 per cent (8.07 million tonne) to 355.25 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year -- July-June -- from 347.18 million tonnes in the previous year.

Of the total horticulture production, fruits production rose to 109.53 million tonne in 2022-23 from 107.51 million tonne in the previous year.

Vegetable production, too, increased to 213.88 million tonnes in 2022-23 from 209.14 million tonnes in the said period.

While potato production is estimated to have increased to 60.22 million tonnes in the 2022-23 crop year when compared with 56.18 million tonnes in the previous year, tomato output is pegged to be marginally lower at 20.37 million tonnes as against 20.69 million tonnes in the said period.

There is a slight upward revision in the overall horticulture production from the second estimate of 351.92 million tonnes for the 2022-23 crop year.

The area coverage under the horticulture crops has increased marginally to 28.34 million hectares in 2022-23 crop year from 28.04 million tonnes in the previous year, the ministry data showed.