Growing across nations and continents

According to agriculture ministry estimates, exotic fruits were grown in 2021-22 in over 2.8 million hectares. The area under such crops was almost negligible in the early 2000s

Backed by burgeoning demand and high profitability, the cultivation of exotic and novel fruits and vegetables is expanding in India at a fast pace. The awareness of the need to eat diversified and relatively nutritious and immunity-boosting foods, which got new impetus during the pandemic, has further pushed up the consumption of non-traditional fruits and vegetables, thereby increasing both the imports and domestic production of these products. The import of these items has almost doubled in just one year — from about 360,000 tonnes in 2020 to a record 721,000 tonnes in 2021. Domestic output is reckoned to be surging