In a note to the food processing industry, the industry body has stated that the need for the proposed body has been necessitated, for a continuous assessment in the size of the market, commodity composition, geographical distribution and changing consumer preferences. According to an Assocham press release, the trade opportunities in fruits, vegetables and flowers are expanding nationally and internationally. Because of rising incomes and population, the demand for fruits and vegetables will grow in India. The demand would also grow internationally with the increase in emphasis on health foods.

The National Horticulture Development Board has not developed along the lines the committee had envisaged. This Board should work on the lines of Mother Dairy and offer guidance to the small-scale growers of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

These growers generally get less than 20 per cent of the price paid by the end consumer, unlike in milk, where the producer gets nearly 70 per cent of the end price. There are also violent fluctuations in prices, specially in onion, potato and tomatoes.

The establishment of an effective storage, processing, packaging, transportation and distribution system is vital for sustaining a dynamic and producer-oriented horticulture industry.

Sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards and regulations will have to be developed and popularised. Cold storages and refrigerated vans are needed in large numbers. The promotion of the horticultural seed villages in every block in the country, will multiply and distribute pure seeds of both self-pollinated and hybrid strains, superior planting material through a combination of tissue culture and mist propagation, undertake micro-propagation of improved varieties and distribute planting material, derived from tissue culture in polyethylene bags and encourage grafting and other methods of propagation in villages.