It looks like India’s appetite for imported fruits and vegetables is increasing over the years, as the country’s import bill increased by 114 per cent and volumes by 84 per cent in the last one decade.Though imports from the US doubled in value terms and increased by 74.5 per cent in volumes during the decade, Pakistan vanished from the list of exporting countries, and China’s exports to India declined by half both in terms of value and volume.Data published by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) showed that India’s import of fruits and vegetables from the US increased by 116 per cent in terms of value and 74.5 per cent in terms of quantity in the past decade, whereas imports from Pakistan came to zero during the period. Imports from China declined by 53.3 per cent in terms of value and 51.53 per cent in terms of quantity between 2016-17 and 2025-26.India’s import of fruits and vegetables increased from $1.78 billion in 2016-17 to $3.82 billion in 2025-26, a growth of 114.39 per cent. India’s import basket widened from 11.22 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2016-17 to 20.66 lt in 2015-26, a growth of 84.15 per cent.Exports also riseIn a recent reply in the Lok Sabha, Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said India’s trade in fruits and vegetables has remained robust over the years, reflecting strong domestic production capabilities and growing integration with global agricultural markets. India has consistently been a net exporter of fruits and vegetables.During the past 10 years, exports increased from $2.45 billion in 2016-17 to $3.93 billion in 2025-26. Export volumes also increased from about 49.5 lt in 2016-17 to 58.2 lt in 2025-26, indicating sustained global demand for Indian horticultural products.“The overall trend indicates expanding trade flows on both export and import fronts, while maintaining a positive trade balance and strengthening India’s position in global agricultural trade,” he said.US exports $1.45 bThe US has remained as the top exporter of fruits and vegetables to India. Export value increased from $0.67 billion in 2016-17 to $1.45 billion in 2025-26, and export volume increased from 1.90 lt to 3.32 lt. In fact, it has been exporting over 3 lt of fruits and vegetables valued over $1 billion since the past three years.There was no export from Pakistan to India in 2025-26. It had exported around 1.66 lt of fruits and vegetables valued around $128 million to India in 2016-17. Pakistan’s exports to India has been witnessing a downfall since 2019-20 with the exports reducing to a few hundred tonnes in volume. This is mainly after India banned Pakistan goods after the Pahalgam terror attack.China imports down 53%Despite more than 53 per cent decline in terms of value and 51.53 per cent in terms of quantity, China still exports more than 1 lt of fruits and vegetables to India now. It exported 2.13 lt valued $176.95 million in 2016-17. The volume declined to 1.03 lt valued $82.63 million in 2025-26.Other top exporters to India in terms of value of the commodities exported include Afghanistan, UAE, Iran, Chile, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa.In terms of export volume, countries such as UAE, Iraq, Iran, South Africa, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Chile, and Vietnam topped the list.Emerging playersCountries such as Kenya, Jordan, Bangladesh, Serbia, Taiwan, UAE, Vietnam, Croatia, Peru and Indonesia have increased their value share significantly in the last 10 years.Countries such as Indonesia, Turkey, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Poland, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Italy and Germany have increased the volume of fruits and vegetable exported to India between 2016-17 and 2025-26.Published on August 20, 2026