Dr. Arumugam Thangaiah is the Dean, Horticultural College & Research Institute, Periyakulam, Theni. His interests are fruits & vegetables breeding and post-harvest technology.
Dr. Arumugam Thangaiah says India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables next to Brazil (Fruits) and China (Vegetables). India produces 314 million (MT) of Horticultural Produce during 2019-2020 out of which 20-35 percent are being spoiled due to poor post-harvest handling. Hence, India needs strong post-harvest handling system in order to save the horticultural produce, which make the produce available to more number of consumer at cheaper rate.