India’s farming sector is enjoying a flavorful boost, with bananas and chillies playing a bigger role in crop production than ever before. A Moneycontrol report says bananas have held on to the top spot in India’s fruit economy, growing even more in the last financial year (FY24).

Government data shared last week shows that bananas made up 10.7% of India’s total fruit and vegetable output, slightly more than 10.5% in FY23 and a big jump from 9% in FY12. Bananas had already overtaken mangoes in FY23 and are now widening that lead.

Today, fruits and vegetables together make up more than one-fourth of India’s total food production.

India’s spices are gaining more importance, too. Since FY19, spices and condiments have contributed more to the farm output than pulses. In FY24, they held a 5.9% share in food output, and chillies alone made up over 22% of this, up from 19% before the pandemic.

On the other hand, pulses are contributing less to India’s total crop output. In FY24, their share dropped to 4.68%, the lowest in eight years. The previous year, pulses had a 5.08% share.

To fix this, the Centre has introduced the Atmanirbhar mission for pulses in FY25, aiming to grow more pulses within the country and reduce reliance on imports.

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