Apple is considered to be a native of the temperate area between the Black Sea and die Caspian Sea. Besides fresh fruits its juice is utilised in making jam, jelly, pickel and cider (wine). In India apple gardens occupy over 10,000ha. Of area and the annual production is about 9 lakh tones. Its cultivation is mainly carried on along the hill slopes of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tamil Nadu (the Nilgiri hills). There is possibility of extending its orchards to Amarkantak, Pachamarhi and Penda regions of Madhya Pradesh. The main varieties of apple are red, golden fox, Worcester, richard, newton (Himachal Pradesh); ambari, Kashmiri, red-white in Kashmir Valley; Rome beauty, shenbary and remer in Kumaun hills, Kulu valley and Nilgiris; and Charles Ras, Prince Albert, and lady Shaddel in Assam. Of these the Kashmiri apple is the best for its quality look.
India was 178 lakh tones in 1978-79 which in- tones in 1997-98 (estimated). There is good export creased to 690 lakh tones in 1990-91 and 940 lakh potential for various fresh, canned and dehydrated
Vegetables comprise a complex group of edible plants which are derived from their leaves, flowers, seeds, cuttings, tubers and roots. These are of high nutritive value rich in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins. Hence, they play vital role in improving rural health and rural income.
The adoption of improved varieties and efficient methods of vegetable production can help raise incomes and also ensure greater equity in their distribution, while better cultural practices will help protect the quality of the environment and conserve natural resources. With rapid population growth and urbanization there is increasing demands for food and vegetables.
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According to health experts each individual requires 300 grams of vegetable (115 gram leafy vegetable, 70 gram root and tuber vegetables and 115 gram other vegetables).
India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world after China. Vegetables occupy about 2.4 per cent of the total cropped area of the country (over 6.3 million hectares) and the total production is about 99 million tons (2005- 06). With more than 1 billion of population (2001) India requires 110 million tones of vegetables. The daily per capita consumption of vegetables in India is only 45 gram against the requirement of285 grams for a balanced diet.
Table 11 .XXVII gives an idea about the areal coverage, production and percentage share of world production of some important vegetables in India. There has been gradual increase in the area and production of vegetables in recent years. According to one estimate of the National Agricultural Commission the total production of vegetables in
vegetables. India exported about 42,000 tones of fresh vegetables, 3.6 lakh tones of fresh onion,
I, 600 tonnes of canned vegetables and 2,000 tones of dehydrated vegetables in 1989-90. The total export earnings under vegetables increased from Rs. 34 crores in 1980-81 to 120 crores in 1989-90 by registering an average annual growth rate of 28 per cent. In 1992-93 India exported 3.9 lakh tones of fresh onion valued at Rs. 173 crores to Malaysia, Singapore, Srilanka, Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates. In the same year it also exported 31,000 tons of fresh vegetables valued at Rs. 22 crores to Gulf countries and the United Kingdom.