Vegetables and fruits plays a crucial role in providing a diversified micronutrients rich diet essential to build strong immune system to fight against both communicable and non-communicable diseases. National sample survey, 68th round report provides information on monthly consumer expenditure on 12 fractile classes for rural and urban areas at all India level. The study focuses on Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) crops as theses three crops have become very sensitive from the perspective of Indian consumers. The study attempts to examine, pattern of expenditure on common vegetables in relation to total food expenditure across different fractile classes, examine the importance of TOP vegetables across different fractile classes and analyse the policy implications. Analysis reveal that vegetables are the most important component of food consumption basket in both rural and urban areas irrespective of income classes. It is noted that the urban areas consumes nearly one-third more vegetables compared to rural India. Nearly fifty percent of the expenditure are incurred on TOP vegetables in all the twelve fractlile groups in both rural and urban areas. The projects under operation green for TOP crops are yet to take off. There is an urgent need to hasten up the implementing processes so as to ensure that these schemes reach out both farmers’ and consumers. It is essential that FPOs have to play key role in establishing proper backward and forward linkage for quick and rapid action. More investment have to flow towards R&D to evolve varieties that are suitable for processing and value addition. There is need to reverse this trend in the long run from TOP vegetables to other vegetables which have nutritional advantage compared to TOP vegetables. There is also dare need to put in place an accurate forecasting mechanism at grassroots especially to estimate the extent area being brought under TOP crops to prevent glut and scarcity conditions.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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