By Sidhantt
Copyright thehindubusinessline
The rise of cut and chopped vegetables in Indian kitchens isn’t just about convenience — it’s about how agriculture, food logistics, and consumer behaviour are transforming together. Peeled garlic, diced onions, chopped okra, and ready-to-eat salad bowls have gone from being rare indulgences to everyday essentials in grocery baskets and quick-commerce orders. What looks like a few saved minutes for the end consumer is actually the outcome of a deeply connected food supply chain that is becoming smarter, faster, and more reliable.
This shift is most visible in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, where working professionals, small families, and even HoReCa kitchens are moving away from time-consuming prep. Quick-commerce apps like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket now deliver pre-cut produce within minutes, while aggregators servicing residential communities are expanding into ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat categories. What was once seen as premium is now considered essential: pre-prepped fruits, vegetables, and accompaniments that help kitchens — at home or in business — run smoothly without compromising on freshness.
Accuracy in the fields
Farmers are at the foundation of this shift. Indian agriculture has long struggled with uncertainty, post-harvest losses, and fluctuating demand. Fresh-cut and pre-processed requirements help bring predictability back into the system. When a processor specifies 10 tonnes of uniformly sized onions for dicing, or a grade of papaya for RTE packs, it allows farmers to plan and harvest with accuracy.
The Indian fruit and vegetable processing industry was valued at $876.6 million in 2024 and is expected to grow to $1.18 billion by 2030 (TechSci Research; Research and Markets). Another study forecasts an even higher value of $.387 billion by 2033 (IMARC Group). This growth is powered by demand for processing-grade crops that don’t need to look perfect but must deliver consistency in internal quality. Tomatoes with surface blemishes can still be pureed, papayas with scars can still be diced — reducing waste and improving farm-level profitability.
Contract farming and anchor-buyer models are enabling this alignment. Farmers know exactly who they are growing for and what is expected, giving them clarity on timelines,
pricing, and volumes. Initiatives like Operation Greens (₹500 crore allocation) further stabilize pricing and strengthen the farm-to-fork ecosystem by funding FPOs, logistics, and packhouses. Processing hubs and packhouses located closer to farms now extend shelf life and lock in freshness, creating a stronger backbone for the cut-produce economy.
Kitchens reimagined
The evolution of fresh-cut and ready-to-eat products reflects the changing role of kitchens. Cooking is no longer a lengthy ritual — it’s a task squeezed between meetings, travel, and family schedules. In such a scenario, a bag of diced onions, chopped spinach, or ready-to-eat chutneys and dips can make the difference between ordering takeout and preparing a meal at home.
This shift isn’t limited to households. Commercial kitchens, cafés, and QSRs increasingly depend on cut FnV, portion-controlled dips, and salads to standardize prep, save labor, and ensure consistency across outlets. It’s about automation and efficiency, not just convenience. With certified facilities, hygienic processing, and tech-driven cold chain monitoring, freshness and food safety standards are steadily becoming more uniform.
The ripple effect goes beyond homes and restaurants. Every diced carrot pack or RTE salad creates jobs across agriculture, logistics, packaging, and retail. Agronomists ensure consistency on farms, central kitchens handle processing, and delivery partners close the loop — powering an ecosystem that is growing rapidly with urban demand.
Quick commerce as the catalyst
Quick commerce has amplified this trend like never before. India’s quick commerce market was valued at $3 billion in 2023 and is projected to touch $40 billion by 2030 (Financial Times). Fresh produce dominates these orders — with onions, tomatoes, and potatoes among the most frequently ordered items. Cities like Visakhapatnam have already seen deep adoption: one user reportedly placed 337 orders in a year (Times of India).
This surge shows how central pre-cut produce has become to modern food habits. For time-strapped consumers, a chopped onion pack isn’t a luxury — it’s the new default.
The economic ripple effects
The fresh-cut revolution strengthens every link in the chain. Farmers benefit from predictable demand, reduced waste, and better price realisation. Businesses gain efficiency, consistency, and reduced labour costs. Consumers get access to fresh, ready-to-use products that fit seamlessly into their fast-paced lives.
From agriculture to quick commerce, the system is creating new opportunities across sectors — logistics, cold storage, retail, food tech, and more. Each pack of chopped vegetables represents not just convenience but also a growing ecosystem of jobs and innovation.
The quiet revolution
The next time someone opens a pouch of peeled garlic or a box of ready-to-eat salad, they may not see the complex machinery behind it. But make no mistake — this is a quiet revolution. Farmers aligned with processors, automated kitchens, cold chains maintaining freshness, and delivery platforms ensuring last-mile speed are all part of it.
Cut fruits and vegetables are no longer a niche choice. They are becoming the foundation of how cities eat and how farms plan their crops. By bringing consistency and convenience together, this revolution is reshaping Indian food habits from the farm to the fork.
The author is the Founder & CEO of Urban Harvest & DeliverIt.
Published on September 27, 2025
