NEW DELHI, 2 July 2025: India’s shifting dietary preferences are leaving a mark on the country’s agricultural landscape, with new data revealing a striking rise in the production value of strawberries, pomegranates, and other high-value fruits and vegetables, even as cereals lose ground.
According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the Gross Value of Output (GVO) for strawberries has surged more than fortyfold in constant prices over the past decade, jumping from INR 1.32 crore in 2011–12 to INR 55.4 crore in 2023–24. In nominal terms, that amounts to an 80-fold increase to INR 103 crore.
Pomegranates too have seen their GVO more than quadruple to over INR 9,200 crore, while pumpkin and parmal (pointed gourd) rose tenfold and seventeenfold, respectively. Mushrooms posted a three-and-a-half times increase, reaching INR 1,704 crore, reflecting evolving consumer preferences and a pivot by farmers toward higher-return produce.
Meanwhile, the share of cereals in the overall GVO of agriculture and allied sectors declined from 17.6% in 2011–12 to 14.5% in 2023–24, aligning with a broader reduction in cereal spending documented by the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES). In rural India, cereals’ share of consumption expenditure dropped from 10.7% to 4.9% over the same period, while urban spending on cereals also fell from 6.6% to 3.7%.
The GVO for meat, on the other hand, climbed from 5% to 7.5% of the total agri sector output in constant prices, reflecting higher protein demand. Even condiments and spices such as dry ginger recorded significant growth, with dry ginger GVO rising 285% to INR 11,004 crore.
Though the share of fresh fruit in rural monthly per capita consumption edged up only modestly, from 2.25% to 2.66%, researchers noted a dramatic increase in the absolute number of rural households consuming fresh fruit, jumping from 64% in 2011–12 to more than 90% in 2022–23.
The data underscores the impact of rising incomes and shifting dietary norms. In line with Engel’s Law, the proportion of household budgets devoted to food has fallen, with rural food expenditure declining from 52.9% of total spending in 2011–12 to 47% in 2023–24, and urban food spending dropping from 42.6% to 39.7%.
As farmers adapt to these shifts, the trends could have significant implications for future crop choices and nutrition policies, experts say.
Image credit: sahasa.in
