Fruit and Vegetable Processing: Trends and Opportunities in India

India, having achieved self-sufficiency in cereal production, has to pay attention towards nutritional security, through an emphasis on horticultural crops. Cultivation and processing of these perishables are gaining momentum and are bound to make an impact on the national economy in the years to come. India is the second largest producer of fruits after Brazil and vegetables after China. But, the Indian fruit and vegetable industry, based on about 3000 processing units is utilizing hardly about 1.1 percent of the total production. However, recent developments and planning in thin sector, hold a promising future, both at national and international markets. This paper analyses the present scenario of fruit and vegetable processing in India and the opportunities for the growth of the same owing to toe new industrial policy.