India assuming dominant position in global fruit and vegetable sector

India is becoming a global giant in the fresh produce sector, with output rising by 15% over the past 5 years, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) processed by FEPEX. The world production of fresh fruit and vegetables has remained stable in the last five years, reaching 1.88 billion tons in 2020, during which time China, India and the US have remained the leading producers. However, there are very different trends. Output in the US is falling, while China’s is growing slightly and India’s is soaring. Russia has seen production of fruit and vegetables drop by 27%.

India’s production climbed from 180 million tons in 2016 to 208 million tons in 2020, while Russia, which was ranked fourth in 2015 and 2016, fell to seventh place, with output dropping from 50.5 million tons in 2015 to 35.6 million tons in 2020. Turkey has now taken fourth place (51.6 million tons in 2020), followed by Brazil (45.7 million tons) and Mexico (36 million tons). Spain is in eighth place with 32 million tons.