The horticultural produce includes fruits, vegetables, flowers and other ornamental plants,
plantation crops, aromatic and medicinal plants and spices. However, in this chapter, information on
fruits and vegetables is only included. According to Oxford English Dictionary, fruit can be defined
as ‘the edible product of a plant or tree, consisting of seed and its envelope, especially the latter
when it is juicy or pulpy’. The consumer definition of fruit would be ‘plant products with aromatic
flavours, which are either naturally sweet or normally sweetened before eating. The classification of
fruits and vegetables is arbitrary and according to usage.