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India 2nd largest fruit producer in world

 NEW DELHI: The green revolution of the 1960s and 1970s ended chronic food deficits and while cereals still command the attention of policy makers, fruit production has surged impressively, making India the second largest global producer behind China

  Annual growth in horticulture has seen fruit production grow faster than vegetables though the latter constitute the largest segment of this sector of agriculture. The stellar performance of fruits has attracted attention of statisticians with the agriculture ministry's 'horticultural statistics at a glance 2015' noting that India was making its presence felt as the second largest producer of vegetables and fruit.

"Grapes occupy the premier position in exports with 107.3 thousand tonnes valued at Rs 1,086 crore in 2014-15. Other fruits which attained significant position in exports are banana and mango," the handbook said.
 
Robust growth of horticulture indicates a growing demand within the country too. There is scope for further growth as while India lies second in the list of major fruit producing countries featuring China, the US, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Indonesia, the Philippines and Turkey, its productivity lags most of these countries.
India's success in horticulture lies in small towns and districts. In 2012-13, Chittoor and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, Baramula in Jammu and Kashmir, Nalgonda in Telangana, Sagar and Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, Darjeeling in West Bengal and Pune, Aurangabad, Jalgaon and Sangli in Maharashtra shone on India's fruit map.


China tops the list of fruit production with 154.364 million tonnes (MT) in 2013 followed by India (82.631 MT), Brazil (37.774 MT), USA (26.986 MT), Spain (17.699 MT), Mexico (17.553 MT), Italy (16.371 MT) and Indonesia (16.003 MT). Surprisingly, though productivity is a weak spot, India does better than China and Spain.

The handbook, published by the Oxford University Press, points out that significant progress has been made in increasing area under horticulture resulting in higher production. "Over the last decade, the area under horticulture grew by about 2.7% per annum and annual production increased by 7%", it said.

Vishwa Mohan | TNN | Jan 18, 2016, 01.13 AM IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-2nd-largest-fruit-producer-in-world/articleshow/50618234.cms 

Botanical garden (Puducherry) gets a new lease of life

With a history spanning 189 years, the Botanical Garden is among the oldest on the Coromandel Coast. Photo: S. S. Kumar The Hindu.

The facility was thrown open after the first phase of a Rs. 8-crore renovation initiative

Being a locale featured in Ang Lee’s Life of Pi may have just been a fame multiplier for even otherwise, many aspects of the city’s landmark Botanical Garden are pretty awe-inspiring.

On Monday, the Botanical Garden was opened after the first phase of a Rs. 8-crore renovation and beautification initiative, .

Lieutenant Governor A. K. Singh launched the new-look garden in the presence of Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, and Tourism Minister P. Rajavelu.

Later, they did a quick tour of the facilities accompanied by V. Balan, MLA and an entourage of officials led by Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Parida and Tourism Secretary Mihir Vardhan.

The add-ons, set up at an estimated cost of Rs. 4.81 crore, include a nature centre, lily pond with Ashlar bridge, jogging track, shrub bed, kid’s play area, a renovated joy train for children and signages.

The second phase involves landscaping, an outer jogging track, a glass house, maze garden, an aquarium with a pond and provisioning additional ticket counters and toilets and parking facilities.

A butterfly conservatory, laser fountain, taxonomical park and staging annual flower shows are also part of the expansion plans.

The Botanical Garden (Le Jardin Botanique) established in 1826 by French botanist G. S. Perrottet encompasses 11 hectares of natural bounty that features indigenous and exotic flora ranging across evergreen, semi-evergreen, deciduous and tropical dry evergreen species.

With a history spanning 189 years, the Botanical Garden is among the oldest on the Coromandel Coast, and perhaps the only one of its kind on the East Coast.

The collection includes over 2,400 trees, 213 genus types and 293 species. Shrubs, medicinal plants, palm collection, fossils, foliage, ornamental plants, cycads and fruit trees provide variety. The oldest trees of the Bombax and Khaya genus go back 175 years.

Over the years, the government had been seized of the need to develop the garden to serve the interest of urban eco tourism and provide a green recreational space for visitors. Following a report by a steering committee to formulate a master-plan in 2002, it was decided to redesign the garden based on the objective of turning it into a prime tourist destination, revamp the way the landscape presented itself to visitors and to make the engagement more exciting for visitors by ramping up recreational values in addition to the informative function of the ecosystem.

The renovation and beautification was launched under the Centrally sponsored scheme “Development of Puducherry as a Mega Tourism Circuit’ where the Centre and UT Government shared the costs.

The plans suffered a major setback after the havoc caused by Cyclone Thane in 2011 which left the garden extensively damaged and about 300 trees completely uprooted. The Agriculture Department, which is the custodian of the premises, had been engaged in the restoration of the flora.

In September 2014, the Lt. Governor, who undertook a visit to the garden, was unhappy with the progress of the renovation and restoration and issued instructions to adhere to timelines for each phase of the project.

If work progresses on schedule, the second phase of work to make the garden a “living classroom, a picnic spot for children and tourists and a tranquil spot for the meditative minds” should be ready in a year. 

22% monsoon deficit in August, third driest since 1993

Adding to the bleak scenario is the prospect of the monsoon's retreat beginning soon. "The start of monsoon withdrawal is on cards," said IMD director-general L S Rathore.



The monsoon's retreat, beginning from northwest India, is declared by IMD based on three criteria observed in the region — absence of rain for at least five straight days, a significant drop in moisture and reversal of monsoonal winds by the formation of an anti-cyclone. "We are seeing signs of the first two conditions. In the next few days it is likely that all three criteria will be met," Rathore said.
Monsoon's withdrawal from the country is a long drawn process that usually takes more than a month to complete. Although the normal date for the process to start is September 1, monsoon's withdrawal at this stage from northwest India would increase the rain deficit in the region where Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh already have a significant shortfall.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/22-monsoon-deficit-in-August-third-driest-since-1993/articleshow/48752059.cms