Strawberry & pomegranate up, cereals down: Agriculture output report

Indian Express

6 days ago

Reflecting changing food habits and consumption patterns, and how farmers are adjusting to this, new data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) shows that the Gross Value of Output (GVO) of fruits like strawberries and pomegranates and vegetables like parmal (parwal) and mushrooms recorded the biggest increase over the last decade or so.
Also, while the share of meat in the GVO of agriculture and allied sectors rose from 5 per cent in 2011-12 to 7.5 per cent in 2023-24 (at constant prices), the share of cereals fell from 17.6 per cent to 14.5 per cent during the same period.
Gross Value of Output, or GVO, is a measure of production that refers to the total value of the items produced before subtracting the value of inputs used in production.
According to the ministry's report on 'Value of Output from Agriculture and Allied Sectors' released on June 27, for the period between 2011-12 and 2023-24, production of strawberries rose by more than 40 times, from a GVO of Rs 1.32 crore to Rs 55.4 crore (at constant prices).
Without adjusting for inflation, the strawberry GVO increased by almost 80 times to Rs 103.27 crore.
Among the other fruits and vegetables which saw a sharp rise in GVO are: parmal (parwal), which increased by nearly 17 times to Rs 789 crore; pumpkin which increased by nearly 10 times to Rs 2,449 crore; pomegranate, which increased by over four times to Rs 9,231 crore; and mushroom, which increased by three-and-a-half times to Rs 1,704 crore.
Meanwhile, improved processing helped increase the GVO of condiments and spices, particularly dry ginger (up 285 per cent at Rs 11,004 crore).
Indicating that people consumed more animal products as incomes rose, the data also showed that the share of meat in the GVO of agriculture and allied sectors increased from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent (at constant prices). However, the rise in the GVO of the meat group was 131 per cent, well below that of strawberry.
Among the other fruits which showed an increase in GVO are watermelon (119 per cent), cherry (99 per cent), banana and mosambi (both 88 per cent), and muskmelon (87 per cent).
While this is a key indicator from a nutrition perspective, the headline numbers from a consumption perspective aren't as impressive, with the share of fresh fruits in rural Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) edging up to only 2.66 per cent in 2023-24, from 2.25 per cent in 2011-12, as per the results of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) released last year. For urban India, the share actually declined from 2.64 per cent to 2.61 per cent.
It is worth noting that even as the share of fresh fruits in monthly consumption expenditure rose only marginally in rural areas, people across more income categories are now eating them.
The data reveals a structural shift in Indian agriculture, from traditional staples like cereals toward high value crops like fruits, vegetables and spices. This transition, according to MoSPI, reflects technological shift, changing consumer preferences, market opportunities and policy orientation toward nutritional security and export potential.
According to a 2024 paper co-authored by Shamika Ravi, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, the proportion of rural households consuming fresh fruits rose from 63.8 per cent in 2011-12 to 90.3 per cent in 2022-23. Further, their analysis suggested a 'very dramatic increase' in the percentage of households that were eating fresh fruits, particularly among the bottom 20 per cent of rural households.
On the other hand, staples like cereals saw a decrease, with the share in urban MPCE falling from 6.61 per cent in 2011-12 to 3.74 per cent in 2023-24, and from 10.69 per cent to 4.97 per cent in rural areas over the same period. The findings of MoSPI's agriculture output value report released last week were in line with this, with the share of cereals in the GVO of agriculture and allied sectors having declined from 17.6 per cent in 2011-12 to 14.5 per cent in 2023-24.
In line with Engel's Law — as household income increases, the proportion of income spent on food decreases — the most recent HCES for 2023-24 showed a fall in the share of food in MPCE, from 52.90 per cent in 2011-12 to 47.04 per cent in 2023-24 for rural areas, and from 42.62 per cent to 39.68 per cent in urban areas.
Siddharth Upasani is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. He reports primarily on data and the economy, looking for trends and changes in the former which paint a picture of the latter. Before The Indian Express, he worked at Moneycontrol and financial newswire Informist (previously called Cogencis). Outside of work, sports, fantasy football, and graphic novels keep him busy.
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