UPSC Articles
Gherkins
Part of: Prelims and GS-III Economy
Context: India has emerged as the largest exporter of gherkins in the world.
Key takeaways
- India has crossed the USD 200 million mark of export of agricultural processed product, – pickling cucumber, in the last financial year.
- It is globally referred to as gherkins or cornichons.
- Gherkin cultivation started in India during the early 1990s in Karnataka and later extended to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Nearly 15% production of the world’s gherkin requirement is grown in India.
- Apart from its export potential, the gherkin industry plays a key role in the creation of rural employment.
- In India, cultivation of gherkins is carried out under contract farming by around 90,000 small and marginal farmers with an annual production area of 65,000 acres.
News Source: ET