Entrepreneurship opportunities in horticulture sector

Abstract

Horticulture sector has the potential to enhance the farm income, provide livelihood security and earn foreign exchange. However, focused policy interventions are needed to realise the potential of this sector. India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally. During 2019-20, the production of fruits is 102.03 million MT and that of vegetables is 189 million MT and that of flowers is 2.94million MT. The salient features of commercial horticulture are perishability, intense technology, high profitability accompanied with high investment and high risks including vulnerability to post-harvest losses. Overall, it demands very good entrepreneurship and leadership.The review reveals the trends of the horticultural sector in India and identifies the growth prospects. According to the Economic Survey 2020-202, the share of agriculture in gross domestic product (GDP) has reached almost 20 per cent for the first time in the last 17 years, making it the sole bright spot in GDP performance during 2020-21. The resilience of the farming community in the face of adversities made agriculture the only sector to have clocked a positive growth of 3.4 per cent at constant prices in 2020-21, when other sectors slid. The share of agriculture in GDP increased to 19.9 per cent in 2020-21 from 17.8 per cent in 2019-20.The Horticulture has become a key driver for economic development in many of the states in the country and it contributes 30.4 per cent to GDP of agriculture, which calls for technology-led development. The research priorities are for genetic resource enhancement and its utilization, enhancing the efficiency of production and reducing the losses in environment friendly manner. Horticultural sector accounts for about 37% of the total exports of agricultural commodities, and the exports have recorded sustained rising trend.The major concerns of the sector are improving the productivity through research and development, enhancing the share of value-added products, geographical diversification of exports and enhancing the infrastructure including cold storage and rural roads.The horticulture sector has been considered as the sun rising sector of Indian agriculture because of its contribution to livelihood and nutritional security. Here are some strategic options to overcome the hurdles in the entrepreneurship climate setting process to enhance farmers’ income.