India become largest exporter of Cucumber and Gherkins

Highlights:

India emerged as the �Pickle King of The World�, in a recent development.
India crossed the exports if worth USD 200 million of agricultural processed product, pickling gherkins, cucumber or cornichons, in the financial year 2020-2021.
With this, India became the largest exporter of cucumbers and gherkins worldwide.
India exported 1,23,846 metric tonnes (MT) of cucumber and gherkins, with a value of USD 114 million during April-October 2021.
In 2020-21, India shipped 2,23,515MT of cucumber and gherkins with value worth USD 223 million.

India meeting Global Demand:

As many 51 companies in India produce and export gherkins. Gherkins are exported in two forms viz., packed in drums and in ready-to-eat packs.
India meets 15 percent of total global requirement or demand of gherkins.
Indian plants are of international standards and have been made to cater to the requirements of foreign countries.
Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh process and export the pickled cucumber across the world.
Pickled cucumbers are imported by more than 20 countries, namely, USA, France, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Canada, Germany etc.
As per reports, gherkins are cultivated under contract farming by 90,000 small and marginal farmers across India.
These farmers have an annual production area of 65,000 acres.
A gherkin farmer earns Rs 80,000 on an average, with a net income of Rs 40,000.
Farmers can take two crops of gherkins annually, since it is a 90-day crop.
Gherkin is also known as pickled cucumber. It is a cucumber that has been pickled in vinegar, brine, or other solution and left to ferment for some time.