London, Apr 21: India has emerged as the world's largest producer of mangoes and bananas in 2002-03. "India produced 12,000,000 tonnes of mangoes as against the world's total production of 23,455,000 tonnes, 51.1 per cent," S Dave, director of agricultural and processed food products export development authority said here last evening. Making a presentation on "India's export of table grapes to European Union" to leading British importers at the India house, Dave said the country also topped in the production of bananas with 10,200,000 tonnes as against world production of 58,618,000 tonnes, constituting 17.4 per cent of the whole.
C. Phunsog, minister (Economics) in the Indian High Commission presided over the meeting. Dave informed that India ranked 13th in production of grapes with 1,200,000 tonnes last year as against the world's production of 57,397,000 tonnes.
India had taken adequate measures to ensure prescribed pesticide residual limits in grapes produced by it, following alert issued by the European community last year, he said. India came second as regards production of all fruits, next only to Brazil.
In the category of major vegetables, India topped in the production of cauliflower in the world with 4,800,000 tonnes as against world's production of 12,725,000 tonnes in 2002-03, he said.
Bureau Report