India to end imports of fruits, vegetables and flowers: Chouhan

India aims to end imports of fruits, vegetables and flowers by strengthening domestic production and making horticulture more profitable for farmers, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday.

Addressing a review meeting at the ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) here, Chouhan said self-reliance in horticulture was essential for achieving a self-reliant India. “We will not import fruits, vegetables and flowers. We have to become self-reliant in this field,” he said, adding that farmers would adopt new crops only if cultivation was economically viable.

India is already one of the world’s largest producers of fruits, with total annual output estimated at over 112 million metric tonnes , driven by crops such as banana, mango, papaya and citrus. Despite this strong base, the country continues to import certain fruits, particularly apples, avocados, kiwifruit, pears and other exotic varieties, largely due to rising urban demand, preference for premium varieties and seasonal supply gaps.

Apples remain the largest imported fruit despite domestic production of around 2.5–2.7 million tonnes , mainly from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Annual imports are estimated at about 0.6 million tonnes, sourced primarily from the United States, Iran and other temperate countries.

Referring to avocados, Chouhan said India had already begun reducing its dependence on imports. Avocado cultivation, though still at a nascent stage, is expanding in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and parts of Punjab. A mature avocado tree can yield 200–300 fruits annually, but domestic production remains limited compared to demand, resulting in continued imports from countries such as Peru, Kenya, South Africa and Mexico.

Dragon fruit, which was earlier largely imported from Southeast Asia, has witnessed rapid expansion in domestic cultivation under government horticulture programmes. The crop is now grown in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha and Kerala, with yields of 8–10 tonnes per acre reported under proper management. In regions such as Kutch in Gujarat, production has increased significantly in recent years, indicating strong potential for import substitution. Chouhan said similar efforts were needed for other high-demand fruits.