Parliament Question: Horticulture Processing and Export Promotion

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294 ANSWERED ON 12TH MARCH, 2026 HORTICULTURE PROCESSING AND EXPORT PROMOTION 3294. SHRI G LAKSHMINARAYANA: Will the Minister of Food Processing Industries be pleased to state: (a) whether it is true that despite being the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally, India processes only about 8–10 per cent of its total horticulture output, if so, the details thereof; (b) the percentage of horticulture produce processed in the country during the last five years along with its comparison with major horticulture-producing countries, year-wise; (c) the total funds allocated and utilised to enhance horticulture processing capacity during the last five years, State-wise and scheme-wise; (d) the specific interventions undertaken including number of units supported, cold storage capacity created and value-addition infrastructure established; (e) the measures taken by the government to strengthen export of processed horticulture products; (f) the growth in export of processed horticulture products during the last five years, product-wise and State-wise including Andhra Pradesh; and (g) whether the Government has fixed any measurable target to increase horticulture processing levels and export share in the next five years, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (SHRI RAVNEET SINGH) (a) & (b) The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) had conducted study to determine the level of food processing in India through Deloitte titled “Study to Determine the Level of Food Processing in India”. As per the study report submitted by Deloitte in July 2021, the estimated percentage of level of processing of fruits and vegetables in India for the year 2018-19 is as below: Category/ Commodity Estimated Level of Processing (%) Fruits 4.5 Potatoes & Onion 3.2 Other Vegetables 2.4 Further, the comparison of extent of processing level in India with major horticulture producing countries as mentioned in the report is as below: Estimated level of processing (%) Countries Fruits Vegetables India 4 3 United States of America 20 11 Brazil 38 -Thailand 46 32 Italy 42 38 China 7 3 (c) & (d) MoFPI implements Central Sector Umbrella Scheme-Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). Under the component schemes of PMKSY, MoFPI provides financial support in the form of grants-in-aid/ subsidy for setting up of food processing projects thereby creating both processing and preservation infrastructure facilities including cold chain infrastructure. The schemes are demand driven and proposals are invited by floating Expression of Interest from time to time based on availability of funds. Under the schemes, funds are not allocated state-wise/ sector wise. The details of number of units, cold storage capacity, value addition, funds allocated and utilized under various component schemes of PMKSY to enhance horticulture processing are placed at Annexure-I. (e) & (f) Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under Central Sector Scheme (CSS) provides financial assistance to facilitate the export of agri/horticulture processed food products to exporters on PAN India basis including women led enterprises and MSMEs. Financial assistance is provided under Agriculture and Processed Foods Export Promotion Scheme of APEDA for the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26) in three broad areas, namely Development of export infrastructure, Quality Development and Market Development.  For the export facilitation of APEDA-scheduled products including processed horticulture products in international markets, APEDA organizes participation in international trade fairs and Buyer–Seller Meets (BSMs), enabling Indian exporters to showcase their products to overseas buyers and explore new business opportunities. In addition, APEDA conducts Reverse Buyer–Seller Meets (RBSMs) in India by inviting prominent importers from various countries. These events provide a dedicated platform for display, interaction, and promotion of India’s export-potential agricultural and processed horticulture products before prospective international buyers, thereby strengthening market access and trade linkages.  Under APEDA’s BHARATI initiative — “Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement”, 100 start-ups comprising agri-food, agri-tech, and SPS solutions, including those engaged in processed horticulture products, have been selected. APEDA provides handholding and mentoring support to these start-ups to facilitate export enablement.  In addition, APEDA has organized capacity building–cum–sensitization programmes across India on topics related to importing country requirements, export procedures, quality standards, and regulatory compliance for APEDA-scheduled products, including processed horticulture products, to support MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and FPOs in accessing international markets. Further, the export of processed horticulture products during the last five years, product-wise are enclosed as Annexure-II. However, the Government maintains the record of total agriculture exports from India. The export figures of States are compiled on the basis of the State-of-Origin code reported by the exporters in the shipping bills. Thus, the state wise data of exports of processed horticulture products for Andhra Pradesh is not available as the same is not validated by Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS). (g) At present, no specific measurable target has been fixed for increasing the level of horticulture processing and export share. This is primarily due to the perishable nature of horticultural products, variability in production, and the dynamic nature of international markets and demand patterns. ****Annexure-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) & (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294 FOR ANSWER ON 12TH MARCH, 2026 ON “HORTICULTURE PROCESSING AND EXPORT PROMOTION” Details of the components schemes of PMKSY for horticulture products Number Cold Processing & Approved Released of Units storage Preservation Grant-in- Grant-in- Schemes capacity capacity aid aid (Lakh (LMT/Annum) (Rs. in Cr) (Rs. in Cr) MT) Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition 167 7.47 44.46 1315.89 1239.24 Infrastructure Scheme (Cold Chain) Creation / Expansion of Food Processing & 141 - 24.61 546.56 405.46 Preservation Capacities Scheme (CEFPPC) Operation Greens (OG) 30 - 10.15 365.20 221.70 As on 31.12.2025Annexure-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) & (f) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294 FOR ANSWER ON 12TH MARCH, 2026 ON “HORTICULTURE PROCESSING AND EXPORT PROMOTION” India's Export of Processed Horticulture products to the World: APEDA Products CAGR Products Value In USD Million (%) Quantity in lakh MT 2020- 2022- 2023- 2024- 2020- 2021- 2022- 2023- 21 2021-22 23 24 25 21 22 23 24 2024-25 Processed Vegetables 501.61 534.98 620.09 787.28 897.07 15.6% 4.03 4.61 4.10 5.38 6.15 Processed Fruits, Juices & Nuts 409.74 462.90 571.51 659.79 698.11 14.2% 3.05 3.72 3.86 4.87 5.00 Cucumber And Gherkins( Prepd. & Presvd) 223.04 199.46 218.74 256.58 306.72 8.3% 2.24 2.18 2.28 2.44 2.90 Cocoa Products 149.78 153.71 154.54 183.54 295.55 18.5% 0.26 0.27 0.34 0.36 0.45 Cashew Kernel 393.28 425.81 338.86 317.47 293.87 -7.0% 0.50 0.54 0.45 0.47 0.38 Mango Pulp 96.43 124.11 147.60 75.35 80.40 -4.4% 0.98 1.23 1.10 0.61 0.63 Cashew Nuts Fresh/Dried In Shell 27.15 27.25 17.43 21.40 44.35 13.1% 0.20 0.22 0.14 0.19 0.27 Cashew Nuts Roasted/Value Added 18.65 23.68 18.70 22.79 23.76 6.2% 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.03 Cashew Shell Liquid (Cnsl) 2.66 4.36 14.02 9.31 7.20 28.3% 0.04 0.05 0.17 0.13 0.08 Source: DGCIS