Lok Sabha Question No. 3294 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Horticulture Processing and Export Promotion
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: Shri G Lakshminarayana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294

ANSWERED ON 12 TH  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 (%)   | Estimated level of processing (%)   | 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 15 th  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 product s 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  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  &  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3294  FOR  ANSWER  ON  12 TH  MARCH,  2026  ON 'HORTICULTURE PROCESSING AND EXPORT PROMOTION'

Details of the components schemes of PMKSY for horticulture products

| Schemes                                                                          |   Number of Units | Cold storage capacity (Lakh MT)   |   Processing& Preservation capacity (LMT/Annum) |   Approved Grant-in- aid (Rs. in Cr) |   Released Grant-in- aid (Rs. in Cr) |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure Scheme (Cold Chain)      |               167 | 7.47                              |                                           44.46 |                              1315.89 |                              1239.24 |
| Creation / Expansion of Food Processing& Preservation Capacities Scheme (CEFPPC) |               141 | -                                 |                                           24.61 |                               546.56 |                               405.46 |
| Operation Greens (OG)                                                            |                30 | -                                 |                                           10.15 |                               365.2  |                               221.7  |

As on 31.12.2025

Annexure-II

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) & (f) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3294 FOR ANSWER ON 12 TH  MARCH, 2026 ON 'HORTICULTURE PROCESSING AND EXPORT PROMOTION'

India's Export of Processed Horticulture products to the World: APEDA Products

| Products                               | Value In USD Million   | Value In USD Million   | Value In USD Million   | Value In USD Million   | Value In USD Million   | CAGR (%)   | Quantity in lakhMT   | Quantity in lakhMT   | Quantity in lakhMT   | Quantity in lakhMT   | Quantity in lakhMT   |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
|                                        | 2020- 21               | 2021-22                | 2022- 23               | 2023- 24               | 2024- 25               |            | 2020- 21             | 2021- 22             | 2022- 23             | 2023- 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