acreage away from cereals towards high-value fruits and vegetables is one of the more notable ones. Data shows that from 2014-15 to 2024-25, the area under horticulture crops—largely fruits and vegetables—has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.66 per cent, while that under cereals has risen by 1.08 per cent. However, while the area under vegetables has risen faster at a CAGR of 1.93 per cent, fruits’ acreage has shown a mild de-growth of 0.05 per cent (CAGR) during the same period.
In simple percentage terms, the increase is even more striking. From 2014-15 to 2024-25, acreage under fruits has grown by 17.35 per cent, under vegetables by almost 23 per cent, and overall horticulture by 26 per cent. In contrast, cereals acreage has risen by only 10.45 per cent. Over the past five years, too, the trend has remained constant. Prior to 2014-15, though horticulture acreage outstripped cereals then as well, the pace seems to have accelerated and firmed up since then.
The CAGR growth in acreage of fruits between 2019-20 and 2024-25 has been 1.15 per cent, and 2.56 per cent for vegetables. Overall, the area under horticulture crops has grown at a rate of 2.17 per cent annually, while that under cereals has grown 1.57 per cent in that period. A major reason for this, of course, is that realisations from horticulture are higher than from cereals and crops.
