Economy
High Value Crop Diversification
GS3 AgriculturePrelims and Mains
- Why in news
- On 19 April 2026, PIB published a explainer on high value crop diversification. It links the Union Budget 2026-27 proposals for coastal, North Eastern and hilly region crops to farm incomes and exports.
- What it is
- High-value crops are mainly horticultural produce such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices and plantation crops. They give much higher net returns per unit of land than cereals and pulses. Promoting them is a diversification strategy to raise farm incomes, agro-processing and exports.
- Coconut ranking
- India is second in world coconut production, with about 22.44 percent of global output, and third in area.
- Coconut states
- Keralam has the largest coconut area, Tamil Nadu leads in production and Andhra Pradesh in productivity.
- Cashew and cocoa body
- The Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development, at Kochi, is a subordinate office of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It also monitors state schemes under MIDH.
- Cocoa cultivation
- Cocoa is mostly grown as an intercrop under tall plantations such as coconut and arecanut.
- Walnut and almond
- Jammu and Kashmir has most walnut cultivation and over 83 percent of almond production.
Don’t confuse with Coconut Development Board vs Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development: The Board promotes coconut across 22 States and UTs. The Directorate is a subordinate office handling cashew and cocoa.
Economy terms and data: 42 Prelims questions since 2013, rising in recent years; they test what a term or instrument means. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- High-value horticulture gives higher returns per hectare than cereals, helping farm incomes and diversification.
- It supports agro-processing, exports and local jobs, including in coastal, hilly and North Eastern areas.
Problems
- Many plantation sectors are fragmented, with ageing, low-yielding trees and uneven access to quality planting material.
- Export gains depend on value addition and market access; for example, walnut exports are only about USD 7.80 million.
Way forward
- Replace senile plantations with high-yielding varieties and expand producer organisations to link farmers to markets.
- Strengthen processing capacity and branding, with region-specific planning backed by geospatial mapping.
Put in your answer
Horticulture output: Horticultural production rose from 277.35 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 370.74 million tonnes in 2024-25.
Coconut exports: Coconut product exports reached Rs 4,349.03 crore in 2024-25, up 25 percent from the previous year.
Budget cashew-cocoa goal: The Budget proposes a programme to make India self-reliant in raw cashew and cocoa and build premium brands by 2030.
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q3Explain factors influencing farmers' selection of high value crops in India.
- 2021Mains GS3 · Q14Challenges before crop diversification and how emerging technologies help.
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q13Assess National Horticulture Mission's role in horticulture production and farmer income.
- 2014Prelims Q94Constraints in implementing higher seed replacement rates, including horticultural planting material supply.
- 2024Prelims Q30Which of cashew, papaya and red sanders are correctly matched in context.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting agriculture topic from Budget 2026-27, mostly export numbers. Economy-type Prelims questions need concept or features, which this release lacks. No debate for Mains.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.