Status and constraints in fruits and vegetables export: a Garrett ranking approach

Horticulture sector in India is considered as one of the driving forces for economic growth. India's diverse climate ensures availability of all varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. The world demand for fruits and vegetables has been constantly on the rise and the country's huge production base offers tremendous export potential. Still the exports from India are concentrated in developing country markets for most of the fruits and vegetables with low unit price realization. Though export of fruits and vegetables from India is increasing yet the proportion of export to total production is low. In this regard a study was conducted to identify the constraints faced by the farmers and exporters of fruits and vegetables. Garrett ranking technique was used to study the problems encountered by the respondents. The results revealed that the important constraints faced by fruits and vegetables growers were the inability to meet the quality requirements for export, poor storage and transport facilities. The poor infrastructure facilities and lack of standardization on postharvest handling were the major problems faced by the exporters. Hence there is high potential for exporting fresh fruits and vegetables and export targets in the future are achievable provided a concerted effort is made on production and quality aspects.