Addressing the ‘Fruit Horizon 2026’ conference organised at ICAR–Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) in Lucknow, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister for agriculture & farmers welfare and rural development, said that merely increasing production will no longer be enough. He stressed that India must now work seriously on quality, shelf life, processing, logistics and export standards to establish a strong identity in the global fruit market.
The Union minister underlined that agriculture can no longer remain confined to the farm alone. Strengthening the entire value chain from production to processing, marketing and exports is now the need of the hour, he said.
Interacting with farmers and stakeholders associated with fruit production, exports and the horticulture business ecosystem, Chouhan said that improving fruit quality is essential if India aims to strengthen its position in the global fruit market. He emphasised that special attention must now be paid to enhancing shelf life, maintaining quality during exports and ensuring production in line with international standards.
During the programme, chaired by Chouhan, it was decided that a task force be jointly constituted by scientific institutions under ICAR, exporters, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority and other agencies concerned. The task force will work towards resolving issues faced by producers and exporters and prepare an effective, time-bound action plan to ensure concrete steps are taken to enhance farmers’ income.
The Union minister stated that, keeping farmers’ needs in mind, the government of India has decided to strengthen Uttar Pradesh under the Clean Planting Material Program. As part of this initiative, a modern Clean Plant Centre is being established at CISH, Lucknow, where disease-free and genetically pure planting material for fruit crops such as mango, guava, litchi and avocado will be developed and conserved.
{{/usCountry}}The Union minister stated that, keeping farmers’ needs in mind, the government of India has decided to strengthen Uttar Pradesh under the Clean Planting Material Program. As part of this initiative, a modern Clean Plant Centre is being established at CISH, Lucknow, where disease-free and genetically pure planting material for fruit crops such as mango, guava, litchi and avocado will be developed and conserved.
{{/usCountry}}The programme also highlighted that the National Horticulture Board is developing several export-oriented clusters, while strengthening modern irradiation and integrated post-harvest infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh—especially initiatives linked to Noida International Airport (Jewar Airport)—will be an important step in this direction.