BENGALURU : In India, horticulture output has surged 14 times — from 25 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 350 million tonnes by 2022-23, surpassing food grain production. This is attributed to the adoption of new technologies and crop varieties, Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) -Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR), said in Hesaraghatta on Sunday.
This growth is imperative to meet the rising demands for high-quality and safe food products. Addressing challenges such as climate change, invasive pests and diseases, pesticide residues, and soil and water pollution, along with minimising post-harvest losses, should be the focus of research in a sustainable manner, the minister said during the event where he inaugurated farmer facilitation centres and interacted with dragon fruit farmers.
Munda urged farmers to adopt best practices, meet international standards, and emphasised the importance of storage, food processing, and marketing. Advocating against importing practices, he said that by 2027,
India will stop the import of tur dal to secure a stable market for farmers. Munda also mentioned about the online portal launched by the Union Government where farmers can sell pulses at fixed rates as this will provide farmers with a sustainable alternative.
President of Karnataka State Exotic Fruits Association Babu Sita Ram said that the government should increase import duty on dragon fruit as during June and July a substantial amount of dragon fruit comes from Vietnam which affects local farmers. Additionally, he emphasised the need to raise awareness about the benefits of dragon fruit and further suggested the establishment of cold storage facilities by the government as dragon fruit typically takes 20 days to reach consumers.