New Delhi- According to the third advance estimates of 2023-24 released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the total horticulture production will decrease by 22.94 lakh tonnes when compared to the final estimates of 2022-23.

The production of fruits, honey, flowers, plantation crops, spices, and aromatic plants and medicinal plants is expected to increase in 2023-24, the report said. The production of mango, banana, lime/litre, grapes, custard apple, and other fruits is anticipated to rise by 2.29 per cent, while the production of apple, sweet orange, mandarin, guava, litchi, pomegranate, pineapple is likely to decrease.

According to the experts, the production of vegetables is estimated to be around 205.80 million tonnes, with an increase in the production of tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, Tapia, bottle gourd, pumpkin, carrot, cucumber, bitter gourd, parwal, and other vegetables. Decrease in production is expected in potato, onion, brinjal, elephant foot yam, capsicum, and other vegetables. The production of onion is anticipated to be 242.44 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.

The country’s total potato production is estimated at 570.49 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, mainly due to a decrease in production reported in Bihar and West Bengal, according to the report. The production of tomato is expected to be 213.20 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, which is 4.38 per cent higher than last year.