India can become one of the largest fruit and vegetable exporters in the world and can equally be a large importer given its demographic diversity.

However, it needs to augment its food and processing industry at a mega scale, according to an agriculture consultant.

Abundant investment opportunities are there in expanding the export market. An increasing acceptance of new products with market development efforts has been witnessed lately given the fact that there is a good international demand for certain fresh fruits as well as processed fruits products.

The only way for the domestic industry to gear up for the export market is to produce quality products at affordable prices.

"There should be technology upgradation, quality management, firm adherence to export commitments and acquisition of appropriate negotiation skills," an agriculture consultant said.

A hoard of fruits and vegetables has tremendous potential for exports. Onions, potatoes and green vegetables like okra, bitter gourd, green chillies have good export potential.

Many non-traditional vegetables mainly processed & gherkins and others like asparagus, celery, bell pepper, sweet corn, green and lime beans and organically grown vegetables are also being increasingly exported.

Exports of mangoes, grapes, mushrooms have started going to the United Kingdom, Middle East, Singapore and Hong Kong. The challenges before the Indian fruit and vegetable processing industry include high decentralised status.

Cottage/home scale and small scale sector, having small capacities up to 250 tonne/annum are in abundance. There are 5,293 fruit and vegetable processing units in the country compared with 3,925 units a decade ago.

Only 13 per cent of these units are large-scale units and almost 75 per cent of the units either operate from home or are cottage and small industries.

Rabo India, a subsidiary of Rabobank International said in a presentation "Setting the Scene: The Market Opportunity of South Asia" at World Fruit Congress held recently in Mumbai that despite being one of the largest producers, the share of India in the global fruit and vegetable trade is minimal.

"India has only 1 per cent share of the world trade in fresh or processed fruits and vegetables," the report said.

India is the world's second largest producer of fruits and vegetables -- after the United States accounting for 10 per cent of global share. Out of 370 million tons of fruit production in the world, India accounts for 30 million tonne. Of the 456 million tonne of vegetable produced in the world, India's share is 59 million tonne amounting to 17 per cent.

India is the second largest producer of fresh vegetables in the world (ranks next to China). Vegetables are typically grown in India in field conditions (vis-a-vis greenhouses).

India ranks fifth in the world in cropped area under cultivation and production of potatoes. India produces about 52 per cent of world's mangoes and 12 per cent of world's bananas.