Horticulture in India: a study of trends from 1990 to 2010

The decision of diversification by a farmer is considered to be one of the major economic decisions that have strong bearing on his welfare in terms of income level. Horticulture is one form of diversification. The importance of horticulture in improving the productivity of land and also providing ample opportunities for sustaining large number of agro-industries which generate substantial employment opportunities, improving economic conditions of the farmers and entrepreneurs, enhancing exports and, providing nutritional security to the people, is widely acknowledged. Diversification of agriculture has been taking place in several forms in India. Horticulture is one form of diversification. However, horticultural development had not been a priority in India until recent years. In the period 1948-80, the main focus of the country was on cereals. Horticulture, has gained commercial tone in recent years and is an important component of Agriculture, having significant share in the economy of the country. India has the advantage of diverse agro-climatic conditions, enables it to produce a wide range of horticultural crops round the year. Horticulture contributes nearly 28 per cent.