This is in spite of the fact that fruit export in the country has boomed over the years
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Hyderabad: Though Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have more than 9 lakh hectares of land under fruit cultivation producing 145 lakh metric tonnes of fruits, the states haven’t been able to maximise exports.
This is in spite of the fact that fruit export in the country has boomed over the years. In 2013-14, it was Rs 2,974 crore. However, at Rs 39.2 crore, AP and Telangana had a very small piece of this pie. In 2014-15, the states exported fruit worth Rs 41.29 crore and in 2015-16, till April end, it was just Rs 4.27 crore.
The reason given by Horticulture departments is that most of the fruit grown in the two states are of poor quality and do not match up to international standards. An official of Hyderabad-based Sam Agritech, which exports pomegranates, said, “Cultivating fruits adhering to international standards is a costly affair and for this, cooperatives of marginal farmers need to be formed.”
Most of the export quality fruits AP and TS produce leave India via Maharashtra despite Hyderabad’s international airport and many sea ports in AP. In 2014-15, export of fruit from Hyderabad airport was Rs 31 crore whereas it was more than Rs 100 crore from Mumbai.
The case with ports is even worse. Just about Rs 3.5 crore worth fruits were transported through ports of AP in 2014-15, whereas it was more than Rs 1,600 crore from Maharashtra by sea. The reasons given for this are poor connectivity, lack of enough agri export facilities and poor manpower in AP and TS.
AP to cash in on chocolates:
The Andhra Pradesh Horticulture department wants the state’s cultivators to cash in on people’s love for chocolate by increasing the existing 23,465 hectare under cocoa plantation by another 2,000 hectare this year.
AP produces 550 kg of cocoa per hectare even though the climate in the state is not exactly suitable for the crop. Kerala, with its suitable climate, yields 785 kg per hectare. AP’s productivity is higher than some of the traditional cocoa producing countries like Dominican Republic, Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia and Nigeria.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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