Boosting the citrus export of india through institutional support to farmers: Assessing the policy initiatives

India is a tropical country with a variety of perennial fruits that grow throughout the length and breadth of the country. Citrus fruits are the third most important fruit crop of India after mango and banana. In India citrus is cultivated in 10.86 lakh hectares with an annual production of 142.62 lakh tonnes and contribute about Rs. 26000 to 28000 crore in GDP every year from raw fruit and processed products. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab and North East India are the important centers of cultivation. India is the third highest producer of citrus in the world and successfully exports the fruit to different countries of the world. Bangladesh is the biggest market for Nagpur mandarins. Nagpur and Amravati districts of Maharashtra together produce 7 lakh MT of Nagpur mandarins on 1.26 lakh hectares. Of this, Bangladesh alone imports 25 per cent of the produce. Many institutions have been established which regulate and promote export activities. But to boost citrus export, research institutes of ICAR and other government research centres have also a major role to play. The authors explore the possibilities and propose a 6-pronged promising model of institutional support solely for citrus exporters which has the potential to benefit the citrus industry in long run. In this model research institutes and other State and Central Government regulatory bodies need to work in coordination.