Telangana is now a fruit surplus State too!

Of the 14 fruits produced in Telangana, mango, guava, papaya, muskmelon, watermelon, sapota, sweet orange and acid lime are in surplus quantities

Hyderabad: Thinking of adding more fruits to your diet? This could be the right time and the right place too, because the country’s youngest State is witnessing an abundance of fruits. Right from mango and guava to papaya and watermelons, Telangana is now a fruit surplus State with a total production of 24.78 lakh Metric Tonnes against a demand of 7.34 lakh MT.

According to State Horticulture officials, out of 14 fruits produced in the State, eight fruits (mango, guava, papaya, muskmelon, watermelon, sapota, sweet orange & acid lime) were in surplus quantities, whereas in about six fruits – grapes, apple, jamun, banana, pineapple & pomegranate – there was a deficit in production.

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The State’s consumption of mangoes stood at 0.19 lakh MT, out of the total production of 10.23 lakh MT. There was a surplus production of 10.04 Lakh MT of mangoes in the State. In fact, 98.15 percent of the mangoes produced in the State was exported to other States, especially Northern States. Similarly, there was a surplus production of 4.83 lakh MT citrus (sweet orange & acid lime) in the State. It was estimated that Rs.725 crore worth of surplus citrus in the State was being exported to neighbouring States every year.

However, the State was yet to become self-sufficient in production of vegetables. There was a gap of 9.65 lakh MT between demand and supply of vegetables in Telangana, because of which vegetables were being imported from neighboring States. The total vegetable requirement of the State stood at about 26.09 lakh MT per annum, whereas the present production stood at 16.44 lakh MT.

In the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, the average requirement of vegetables was 2006 metric tonnes a day. At present, most of the vegetables are coming to Hyderabad from peri-urban areas, neighbouring districts and from other States. The city receives vegetables from neighbouring districts like Rangareddy, Nalgonda, Siddipet, Sangareddy, Vikarabad, Adilabad and Nizamabad. Besides, vegetables arrive from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chattishgarh and New Delhi.

The State was trying to address the shortage by establishing a Centre for Excellence for the production of vegetables and flowers at Jeedimetla in 10.35 acres and for fruits at Mulugu village of Siddipet district in 50 acres.

Apart from shortage of vegetable production, the issue of waste was also a matter of concern in Telangana. According to Horticulture officials, about 30 percent of fruits and vegetables brought to markets get rotten. There was the issue of lack of cold storage facilities as well in the State.